John Porter of Kingsclere : an autobiography

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‘MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE!’

YORKSHIRE, RUGBY, BALLIOL,
THE BAR, JOURNALISTIC AND
BLOODSTOCK REMINISCENCES

BY
WILLIAM ALLISON

AUTHOR OF
‘THE BRITISH THOROUGHBRED HORSE

“The story of a miscellaneous life—the kind
of desultory autobiography that always makes
a wide appeal. The atin lights of Mr.
Allison’s career make a fine display of reminis-
cence—a brilliant classic who might have be-
come a fellow of All Souls, but did not ; arising
7 ‘some "who left the Bar to take up the editor-
ship of the Sz. Stephen’s Review: and lastl a
sporting journalist who found salvation in his
unrivalled knowledge of the British thorough-
bred. The atmosphere of the stable and the
Turf pervades the book, but thereare other things
—pictures of Rugby in the ’sixties and Jowett’s
Balliol, where Mr. Allison had for contempo-
raries Mr. Asquith, Mr. W, H. Mallock, and
Canon Rawnsley. It was Mr. Allison as editor
of the St. Stephen's Review who discovered
Phil May.”—7The Times.

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JOHN PORTER
OF KINGSCLERE {bi
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH

EDWARD MOORHOUSE

AUTHOR OF
‘‘~HE HISTORY AND ROMANCE OF THE DERBY”

LONDON
GRANT RICHARDS LTD.

ST. MARTIN’S STREET
MDGCCCXIX

FOREWORD

In the autumn of 1913 I was asked if I would
help Mr. John Porter to prepare a book in
which he wished to tell the story of his career
as a trainer of racehorses. Before I could agree
_ to do so it was necessary to persuade myself that
_ the request was of a character that justified the
breaking of a resolution to have nothing more
to do with the writing of books. I make no pre-

tence that there was a severe tussle with conscience.

_ The temptation was great, and, convinced that

_ the task I was desired to undertake would be of
_ a particularly agreeable kind, I gladly placed my
services at Mr. Porter’s disposal.

It was in January 1914 we made a beginning.
Little did either of us imagine that nearly six
years would elapse before the projected book
reached the publication stage. There were
several causes for the delay, the chief ‘of them
being the War. It may be said that the delay

Vv

vi FOREWORD

was not altogether a disadvantage, because it made
possible more than one careful revision. And
I desire here to make grateful acknowledgment
of the valuable assistance I received from Mr.
Somerville Tattersall when the proofs were being
revised. Thanks to his remarkable memory he
was able to detect some errors that would other-
wise have escaped notice.

One day the manuscript met with a misadven-
ture that might have had awkward consequences :
it was accidentally left in a taxi-cab, and for
forty-eight hours all trace of it was lost. In the
meantime I began to understand the tortures
Carlyle must have suffered when he learned that
the maid-servant of a friend to whom he had lent
the manuscript of his work, Frederick the Great,
had used the precious sheets for lighting fires !
From the moment of its recovery the “ copy”
of this Autobiography was jealously guarded.
Whether it merited this care is for others to
say. A father cannot be accepted as an un-
prejudiced witness concerning the virtues of
his children.

When the preparation of the book began we
_ had to decide whether it should be a biography
or an autobiography. The latter form was
adopted, because it is more intimate and authorita-

Pi
ae

FOREWORD Vil

tive. As the collaborator, it is desirable I should
state that Mr. Porter is solely responsible for
every expression of opinion to be found in this
book. So far as possible I have presented a
literal transcription of the voluminous notes
dictated by Mr. Porter, who, moreover, as already
explained, again and again revised all that was
written.

It will no doubt be in the recollection of many
readers that in 1896 there was published a book
entitled Kingsclere—now extremely rare—which
gave a sketch of the life of Mr. Porter up to that
time. In the present work many of the facts
and incidents set forth in that former volume are
necessarily recapitulated. Kingsclere was, how-
ever, written at a time when Mr. Porter was to
a large extent preoccupied with his duties as
a trainer, and therefore unable to give to it the
attention really demanded. In the preparation
of his Autobiography he has been hampered by
no distractions. Not only has he gone over the
old ground more thoroughly ; he carries the
story on to the end of his time at Kingsclere, and
so, inter alia, deals with the careers of Flying Fox
and William the Third. Moreover, he was able
to treat his subjects with far more freedom than
was possible twenty odd years ago. Those who

Vili FOREWORD

are familiar with the pages of Kingsclere will find
many fresh facts, anecdotes, and illuminating
comments in the present work.

From the first Mr. Porter desired that the
book now presented to the public should be re-
garded as an authentic and enduring record of
his life’s work. A few of us can testify to the —
earnestness with which he set about a task most
men of his age would have shirked, and the anxiety
he displayed to ensure accuracy and completeness.
To me it will be an abiding pleasure that I was
privileged to further the realisation of a laudable
ambition, and to be so closely associated with
one whose name will always be honoured and
respected in Turf circles.

EDWARD MOORHOUSE.

26 Cuarinc Cross Roap, Lonpon,
November 1919.

CONTENTS

hi PAGE
_ Tue Days or my Yourtu. ; : ; ! SO
| Joun Day’s RevirEMENT . ; Paks ; oa
r
Finpon unpER GoaTeR . : ; ; : Piette 5.
‘My Srart as a TRAINER. : ; ‘ OME,
A Great Revivat . 5 ; ; : j ‘a 89
Tue Removat Tro Kingscuere . . , ‘ ‘3. 8e0
Biv Gowns Derzy , ; ‘ Pi asnee aa
Pero Gomez . ; ; ‘ . : ; ; 131
- Sir Joseph Hawiey anp wis TRaDUCERS .. eae
| Turr Rerorm . ‘ Sh vide hinuieen uence , RS a
Paceant anv Isonomy : ’ : ; + 966
GEHEIMNISs AND SHOTOVER. ey : : - 196
Sr. Braise ; Sapa ng ; gta hie, oer Bie | | ae
I cent ite it eis ilyne ec Gc, r ‘ ih: SRD
Tue Career oF ORMONDE , ‘ : : Cas
Tue Prince’s Parronace . ! ; : f . 284
4 _ Luck ess Friar’s Batsam . P ye ‘ - 295

x

CONTENTS

SAINFOIN AND ComMoN

Orme ano La FLicue

THRosTLE anp Matcueox .

Fiyinc

Fox

La Rocue anp WiLiiaM THE THIRD

Last Years at KINGSCLERE ‘ s

AppEnpIx—

WINNERS TRAINED BY JOHN PorTER

Annuat Recorp oF WINNERS TRAINED BY JOHN

PorrTer .

Horsks TRAINED BY JOHN PoRTER THAT WON

STAKES TO THE VALUE OF £2000 AND OVER

Important Races won By Horsks TRAINED BY

InDEx

Joun Porter

ERRATA

Page 72, line 6, for Blanton read Bloss.

2?

146, line 5. Siderolite won six out of his seven races
as a four-year-old, one being the Goodwood Cup.

PAGE

313
328
359
386
407
429

ee 4

467

474
479

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH

Tue Porter family had been settled at Rugeley,
in Staffordshire, more than a hundred years when
I was born there March 2, 1838. In those days
the development of the Cannock Chase coalfield,
two or three miles westward of Rugeley, was just
beginning. That development has resulted in
the district undergoing a great change. When I
was a boy the Chase was a wilderness and the haunt
of many species of game birds; but it also provided
excellent gallops for the racehorses located at
Hednesford, locally called “* Hedgeford.”’

My father, John Porter, was friendly with
several of the Hednesford trainers, more especi-
ally Saunders and Walters. ‘The latter, who had
the care of the horses owned by Alderman Cope-
land, of Copeland china fame, was one of my
godfathers, the other being Charles Marlow,
the jockey who rode The Flying Dutchman to
victory in the Derby of 1849. Asa boy I was
associated with Tom Ashmall, who won the Two
Thousand Guineas on The Wizard in 1861,

for he and I were schoolmates at Rugeley. Tom’s
I B

2 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

father was a “‘gentleman” farmer at Fairwell Hall,
midway between Rugeley and Lichfield, and
during our holidays I spent a good deal of time
there. Occasionally we went over to Hednesford
to visit Ashmall’s uncle, Tom Carr, who had a
training stable, and it was no unusual thing for
us to stay with him two or three days. During ~
the visits I frequently met my father’s friend
Saunders, a distant relative of the Ashmalls.
These details can have no special interest ; I
mention them merely to show that at this im-
pressionable age I became familiar with the
“atmosphere” of a racing stable, and acquired
a fondness for thoroughbreds which shaped my
career in life.

It might all have been very different. I was,
I suppose, about ten years old when, for business
reasons, my father had to move to London, and
his family with him. While there I attended a
school in ‘Tavistock Street, Covent Garden.
Our stay in London lasted, however, only two
years, and we went back to Rugeley. I have
often wondered how Fate would have dealt with
me if I had been compelled to remain permanently
in London.

When I left school in 1852 my father wished ©
me to go into a lawyer’s office, but before any
definite arrangement was made I was allowed a
holiday, which was spent with Saunders at Hed-
nesford. How long I was expected to stay

re he — 7: = «* “wes 1 Ot ~ = i. afin J
rs an vets heer 5 ~ are See a Pa a so

- Se RTL ED

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 3

there I cannot say, but the days became weeks,
and the weeks months. All the while I grew
more and more interested in the horses Saunders
trained. They included those of Mr. James
Merry (who afterwards removed them to Russley)
and of William Palmer, a doctor at Rugeley—
the Porters were among his patients—who was
presently to become notorious as “ Palmer the
Poisoner.”’ As my visit to Saunders lengthened
I began to loathe the idea of going into an. office.
The open-air life I was leading appealed strongly
to me; and so, no doubt, did the freedom and
independence I enjoyed.

Saunders was somewhat of a “* rough diamond ”’
and his ideas were a trifle old-fashioned, even for
those days ; still, he was a real good fellow, and
he and I got on very well together. One of the
animals he trained at this time was Mr. Merry’s
Hobbie Noble, who started second favourite for
the Derby of 1852, won by Daniel O’Rourke.
Hobbie Noble finished fourth, and it has always
been understood it was his defeat that placed
Palmer in the financial difficulties that resulted
in his downfall. Hobbie Noble, I remember,
was the subject of much solicitude. There were
rumours that he was to be “got at,” and so
Tass Parker, the prize fighter, was engaged to
guard him at Hednesford during the weeks
immediately preceding the Derby.

Another of the trainers at Hednesford was

4 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Escrett. He went south for a year or two in
order to take charge of Mr. Gratwicke’s horses
at Michel Grove. Sammy Lord was also at
Hednesford. When he died his stable was taken
over by his head man, Dover, who afterwards
went to Ilsley, where he trained Lord Lyon to
win the Derby of 1866 for Sir Richard Sutton. —
It may not be generally known that my old friend
Denman, who for so many years trained very
successfully for M. Edmond Blanc, is associated
with Hednesford. His mother was one of
Saunders’s sisters.

My irresponsible life on Cannock Chase had
continued for about twelve months, when one
day there came a parental warning that “‘ some-
thing must be done.” It was, I believe, the
outcome of representations made by my mother.
She had, of course, every reason to be dissatisfied
with the existing state of things. At this critical
moment John Day—* Old John” or “ Honest
John” he was commonly called—then training
at Michel Grove for Mr. Padwick, advertised
for a light-weight jockey. I applied for the situa-
tion and received a letter asking me to go at once
to Michel Grove, which lies high up on the
Sussex Downs, five or six miles from Worthing.
This was in 1853, so I was fifteen years old.
After questioning me, John Day agreed that I
should be apprenticed to him for three years.
With an assurance that seemed to amuse the old

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 5

man, I proceeded to draw up my indentures, and
presented them to Day for his signature. The
legal formalities completed, I took my allotted
place in the Michel Grove stable.

A good deal of Turf history had been made
at Michel Grove. Forth trained there. One of
his patrons was Mr. W. G. R. Gratwicke, an
influential Sussex squire who lived at Ham, near
Worthing. Mr. Gratwicke was a liberal sup-
porter of the Goodwood Meeting, and his associa-
tion therewith is still commemorated by the
Gratwicke and Ham Stakes, two of the events in
the Goodwood programme. His Derby winners,
Frederick and Merry Monarch, were both trained
at Michel Grove. After Forth’s death Mr.
Gratwicke sent his horses to John Kent at Good-
wood ; and when Kent gave up training, owing
to ill-health, they went to Newmarket, where,
together with those of the Duke of Bedford,
they came under the management of Admiral
Rous. A disagreement with the Admiral caused
Mr. Gratwicke to return to Michel Grove and
engage Escrett as his private trainer. Soon,
however, Escrett went back to Hednesford,
where he successfully managed an hotel. At
Michel Grove he was succeeded by Walter May,
but Mr. Gratwicke must have disposed of his
racing stud shortly afterwards, because John Day,
previously at Danebury, near Stockbridge, had

been at Michel Grove some little time when I

6 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

went there in 1853. When Mr. Gratwicke (who
died in 1863) finally gave up the stables they
were taken by Mr. Padwick, for whom Day was
really acting as private trainer, though permitted
to accept the horses of one or two other owners.

At the time I became his pupil John Day
was getting into years, but was still one of the —
leading trainers. The name of “ Honest John,”
so often applied to him, was indicative of his
reputation in the racing world. The most
prominent men on the Turf were among his
greatest admirers. It has been said that he
did more than any of his contemporaries to raise
the trainer’s calling to a higher plane than it
occupied in the early years of the nineteenth
century. I was very fortunate in being brought
in contact with this worthy, and fortunate also
in that I quickly gained his confidence. Day
seemed fond of me and I got on well with him.
He lived at Patching, about two miles from Michel
Grove. When he went home I used to ride
behind him—the two of us on the same horse—
and take the hack back to Michel Grove. On
Sundays I sat with himin church. He invariably
began the responses when every one else had
finished, and his voice was not exactly a whisper !
It was an eccentricity of his always to carry a large
cotton umbrella, of which his friends made no
end of fun.

John Day was a very early riser, and those

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 7

he employed had to follow his example. The
religious and secular education of his stable lads
caused him much concern; indeed, he took a
fatherly interest in their welfare generally. He
would not tolerate swearing, and the sight of
a jockey or stable-boy smoking horrified him.
It has been well said that he was “as simple as a
child in his tastes and pursuits, but, in his inter-
course with society, a perfect man of the world, as
respectful to the peer as courteous to the peasant.”

As I have explained, I went to Michel Grove
as a light-weight jockey. I had one essential
qualification, for my weight at that time was only
4 st. 10 lb, There are, however, many things
required to make a jockey, and not the least
important is opportunity. I had as a rival none
other than John Wells, who was at this period of
his career attached to the Michel Grove stable.
Because of his diminutive stature, he was generally
called “‘ Tiny.” He could then ride at 6 st.,
perhaps less, and was already so successful that
he obtained, as a matter of course, all the mounts _
John Day could give him. Maybe I sometimes
felt disappointed ; perhaps I thought I was not
getting the chances I deserved. But before
many years had gone by I came to realise that
circumstances were all the while trending to my
advantage. If only we could throw our vision
into the future what vexation of spirit we should
often be spared.

8 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

As a jockey I had an excellent tutor in John
Day, who had been one of the best riders of his
time. Among his employers was the famous
Duke of Grafton, for whom, in 1826, he rode
Dervise and Problem to victory in the Two
Thousand and One Thousand Guineas respect-
ively ; and for the same nobleman he was success-
ful twice in the Oaks. Day took great pains with
me, and I steadily improved in my riding, for
I obtained plenty of practice on the Downs. I
carefully watched Wells and other jockeys, and
picked up many ideas from them.

There is not much to be said about my exploits
in the saddle, and I may as well dispose of the
subject now. My first experience of race riding
was gained at Goodwood in 1854. At that
meeting I rode “ Mr. Howard’s” Diana in the
Goodwood Stakes. “Mr. Howard” was the
assumed name of Mr. Padwick. Diana’s weight
was 5 st. 5 lb. She was a three-year-old filly by
Venison, and had, at Ascot, the previous time
out, won the Great Western Stakes. On the
strength of this success she started favourite
for the Goodwood Stakes, but I regret to say
was not even “ placed.” I can, however, plead
in extenuation of the failure that, with Wells in
the saddle, Diana did no better two days later,
when she competed for the Chesterfield Cup.
A fortnight afterwards I was again “up” on
Diana in the Lewes Handicap, and this time she

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 9

finished second, beaten half a length. I rode
my first winner the following year at Brighton,
where I was successful on Overreach, a two-
year-old filly by Birdcatcher out of Virginia,
the dam of Virago. She defeated Flageolet by
half a length. George Fordham, riding at § st.,
was on one of the unplaced horses, and so was
my old school-fellow, Tom Ashmall. At the
Newmarket Houghton Meeting that year I had
four mounts. One of them finished second in
a Selling Handicap (the winner of which was
ridden by Flatman), and on Overreach I won a
half-mile Sweepstakes, beating the only other
runner, who was favourite, by a neck. In
1856 I rode in two races, one at Salisbury and
the other at Epsom. Both efforts were unsuc-
cessful.

I did not ride again in a race until the Derby
of 1858, won by Sir Joseph Hawley’s Beadsman.
On that occasion we started three horses—
Eclipse (who finished fourth), Sedbury, and
Carmel. Fordham and Jim Goater were on
Eclipse and Sedbury respectively. My mount,
Carmel, was a chestnut colt by Loup-garou.
He was an unconsidered outsider, and when
making the descent to Tattenham Corner broke
down badly. Returning to the stands, long
after the race was over, I had to thread my way
through the crowd that had surged on to the
course. To the best of my recollection this was

10 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the last time I donned silk. Altogether I had
about twenty rides in public.

Long before this, however, I had decided not
to pursue my endeavours to gain distinction as
a jockey. I can smile now at my presumption.
There was I, a lad of sixteen, who had gone to
Michel Grove to be trained as a jockey, secretly
resolving that a jockey I would not be. Wells
and Virago provoked me into making this
resolution.

The story of Virago is extremely interesting.
I have in my time seen many great fillies, but I
regard Virago as perhaps the greatest of them
all. Foaled in 1851 and owned by Mr. Padwick,
she was a chestnut by Mr. Gully’s Derby winner
Pyrrhus the First out of Virginia, by Rowton,
the St. Leger winner in 1829. Incidentally, it
may be mentioned that Rowton stood barely
15 hands when he won at Doncaster, but is said
to have been a very good horse ; as a six-year-old
he ran second for the Ascot Cup. Virago, then,
was a two-year-old when I went to Michel Grove,
and it fell to my lot to exercise her on the training-
ground and ride her in trials—responsibilities
that gave me much pride and pleasure. She was
no trouble ; one of the most docile mares imagin-
able, any child could have ridden her. When
she was a yearling John Day had bought her
privately on behalf of Mr. Padwick for £300.
It was arranged, however, that she should pass

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH II

through the sale ring at Doncaster, and she was
then knocked down to Day at about the same price.
William Day describes her as “a beautiful, rich,
but rather dark-coloured chestnut, standing about
16 hands, very powerful and lengthy ; a small
and generous head, with a short, straight neck,
but a little upright in her fore legs ; very quiet,
and having fine temper.” He also states that
his father, just before he bought Virago, pro-
nounced her to be “the finest yearling in the
world,” and declared that he should insist
upon Mr. Padwick buying her, cost what she
might.

As a two-year-old, Virago ran once only.
She was matched against Lord Clifden’s filly
Ossa at the Newmarket First October Meeting,
but forfeited that engagement at a cost of £150.
The race in which she did compete was the Astley
House Stakes at Shrewsbury in November, the
conditions of which stipulated that the winner was
to be sold for £100, with allowance of weight if
for a smaller sum. ‘The filly’s participation in
this event was a colossal piece of bluff, the purpose
of which was to deceive those whose duty it was
to frame the big handicaps of the following spring.
Day and Mr. Padwick already knew that Virago
was exceptionally smart, and they determined to
make the most of their knowledge. Their scheme
was carefully thought out. To begin with,
Virago was entered to be sold for £80, a bit of

12 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

bunkum which entitled her to an allowance of a
few pounds. By way of imparting an air of inno-
cence to the procedure, William Goater, Day’s
head man, accompanied the filly to the starting-
post, ostensibly with a view to ensuring her getting
well away. Strange to say, however, Goater
appeared to be taken by surprise when the starter
dropped his flag, and Virago was “left” a long
way behind the others. She of course finished
“* nowhere,” as intended.

Until the year 1850 it was the winner only
of a selling race that could be bought or claimed ;
but a new Rule was then passed, to the effect
that any horse running in such events was liable
to be claimed by the owner of any other horse
in the race for the price for which it was entered
to be sold, plus the amount of the stake, the
owner of the second horse to be the first entitled
to claim. Curiously enough, both William Day
(a son of John Day) and Admiral Rous, who
referred to the Virago “ affair” in their writings,
were under the impression that the claiming rule
was revised after, and in consequence of, the
Shrewsbury incident. The Admiral—there is
but oze Admiral in the annals of the Turf—made
the following caustic comments on the filly’s
defeat :

She (Virago) was not among the first three, though
she could have carried eleven stone and won. She

could not have been bought for £5000. The public,

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 13

notwithstanding this defeat, took 20 to 1 about her for
the Chester Cup two months before the weights appeared,
and we then heard of a perfect understanding between all
parties.

We may, I think, assume that Mr. Padwick
and John Day suffered much anxiety concerning
Virago until the time within which she might be
claimed had expired. It was, as Admiral Rous
stated, the Chester Cup, then a big ante-post
betting race, that Day and his patron chiefly
had in mind. In his entertaining book, Sixty
Years on the Turf, the late George Hodgman
throws some light on the subject. Hodgman
knew of most movements “ behind the scenes ”’
in those days and for long afterwards ; it was
part of his business to collect information. So
far as the Virago business was concerned he
would have no difficulty in arriving at the truth,
or at an approximation thereto, because he was a
friend and confederate of George Lambert, one
of the few men John Day took into his confidence.
According to Hodgman, very shortly after
Virago’s defeat at Shrewsbury, Mr. Padwick
took s000 to 75 from each of two bookmakers
about the filly for the following year’s Chester
Cup, and during the next few weeks any long
odds offered against her were eagerly snapped up.
Hodgman went out of his way to tell Mr. Topham
(who made the handicap for the Chester Cup)
that Virago had been backed to win a big sum.

14 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Though a bad “ selling plater ” according to the
book, the market pointed to her being “ some-
thing out of the ordinary.”

Mr. Topham took the hint and allotted Virago
21 lb. more than Day and Mr. Padwick had
expected her to get. The latter was furious

when he saw the weights and immediately - ‘

scratched his filly. That was in January. If
Mr. Padwick had been less hasty he would not
have sacrificed the fortune he did, for it is practi-
cally certain that, with ordinary luck in the race,
Virago, despite her weight, would have won the
Chester Cup very easily. Hodgman declares
that Mr. Padwick never knew how good Virago
was, for, while Day gave him a general idea,
details were withheld. This statement may be
justified, but I have my doubts.

In addition to the Chester Cup, Virago had
also been entered for the two big handicaps at
the Epsom Spring Meeting—the City and Sub-
urban and the Great Metropolitan—which in
those days were run the same day, the former
being the first to be decided. It was resolved that
Virago should compete in both. Then, as now,
the City and Suburban was a ten-furlong race,
and the Great Metropolitan one of two and a
quarter miles. Virago’s weight in the “ City ”’
was 6 st. 4 lb. ; in the longer race it was § st.
9 lb. These were not lenient weights, because
in those days the scale went down to 4 st. Mr.

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 15

Padwick and Day were, however, hopeful if not
satisfied. It was provisionally arranged that
Wells was to ride the filly in the City and Sub-
urban, and that I was to have the mount in the
Metropolitan, because Wells could not go to
scale at less than 6 st. or thereabouts.

Meanwhile Virago was tried. There is a
conflict of testimony with regard to the trial.
William Day (son of John) states in one of his
books that the filly was galloped with the five-
year-old Little Harry at 10 lb., and beat him
easily over two and a quarter miles. He further
tells us that he himself rode Little Harry, who that
year won the Ascot Stakes carrying 8 st. 7 Ib.
On the other hand, George Hodgman declares
that William Day’s version of the trial is in-
accurate. He maintains that, apart from John
Day, his friend George Lambert was the only
man who ever knew the facts, and proceeds to
quote a letter Lambert wrote to him in January
1901. It reads:

Virago was tried, when a two-year-old, one mile,
and old John Day thought her better than Crucifix.
Little Harry tried her for the two Epsom events. The
weights I never knew before the Goodwood Cup. She
was tried as follows :

Virago, 8 st. 7 lb., 3 years.
Little Harry, 7 st. 7 lb., 5 years.
_ Little Harry won by a neck. ‘The old man told me
this as they started for the Cup. Mr. Padwick never
knew it—nor any one else.

16 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

There may, of course, have been two trials. In
any case, it is certainly difficult to believe that
William Day could ride the trial horse in a test
to which so much importance attached and be
betrayed by his memory into stating that ‘‘ Virago
won easily ” if in fact she was beaten a neck by _
Little Harry. If his recollection was not at.
fault, the trial proved the filly to be at least as good
as Little Harry ; according to Lambert’s story
she was 12 lb. better than the horse. Anyhow,
John Day and Mr. Padwick were satisfied they
could back Virago at Epsom with every confi-
dence, and that was really all they wanted to
know.

Starting favourite at 7 to 4 in a field of twenty-
three runners, Virago won the City and Suburban
in a canter by three lengths from Marc Antony,
another three-year-old, to whom she was con-
ceding 17 lb. Marc Antony was trained by
John Day junior at Danebury, and was regarded
a certain winner until “ Old John ”’ told his son
that in Virago he had a better mare than Crucifix,
whom both had trained for Lord George Bentinck.

Virago’s performance in the City and Sub-
urban was undoubtedly a very fine one, and
resulted in her becoming a pronounced favourite
for the Great Metropolitan, notwithstanding
the 5 lb. penalty incurred. That penalty raised
her weight to 6 st. Wells was, therefore, again
available, and I was asked to “stand down.”

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 17

Having regard to the importance of the race, it
was, no doubt, a reasonable request. I, however,
felt somewhat aggrieved, and there and then
came to the conclusion that the life of a jockey
had no charms for me. Virago won the Great
Metropolitan comfortably from Mr. Greville’s
Muscovite and Mr. Parr’s Jonathan Martin, who
had started equal second favourites. Jonathan
Martin, a three-year-old, received 21 lb. from
Virago. Mr. Greville, a former patron of John
Day, is stated to have come to him before the
race and told him that, according to their trial,
no three-year-old alive could beat Muscovite.
Day, however, assured him that Virago would
upset his calculations, and advised him to have
£500 on her.

It was hardly surprising that, after Virago
had won the “double event,’’ people began to
talk about her failure in the selling race at Shrews-
bury the previous November. The story goes
that Lord Derby went up to Day and asked,
“How did you manage to get her in so well,
John?” “TI will tell you how I did it, my lord,”
replied Day. “TI ran her ‘ big’ at Shrewsbury,
and told Wells to pull her up directly she was
beaten. Capital, wasn’t it?”

Virago had a wonderful record that season,
for she raced eleven times and was only beaten
once. Her solitary failure was in a five-furlong

sprint at York, where, with odds of 2 to 1 laid on
| Cc

18 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

her, she was unplaced. The form was manifestly
false, but her defeat enabled the bookmakers to
rejoice because they had at last “‘ got something
out of Virago.” That was at the York Summer
Meeting ; in the spring, on the same course,
she won the Great Northern and Flying Dutch-

man’s Handicaps. When she reached York > i

that week we heard a rumour that an attempt
was to be made to poison Virago. Day was
taking no chances, He and Goater sat up all
night in a room near her box and I myself slept
in the box. Whether there was anything in the
report I cannot say ; anyhow, nothing occurred
in the poisoning line ; but before we got the filly
away from York she was run into by a trap, and
one of her hind legs received an injury which
prevented her doing any work before she went
to Newmarket to run in the One Thousand.
She was, however, so thoroughly fit when the
mishap occurred that her powers were but
slightly impaired by the enforced rest. It may
be, indeed, she actually benefited owing to the
lack of work on the training-ground. Whether
or not, she won the Guineas by a length, with
odds of 3 to 1 laid on her. The Goodwood and
Doncaster Cups were among the races she won
that season. As a four-year-old she began by
winning the Port Stakes over two miles at New-
market, but was beaten in her other three races,
finishing fourth for the Royal Hunt Cup, one

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 19

mile, carrying top weight, 9 st. 7 lb., third for
the Ascot Cup to Fandango and Rataplan, and
unplaced in the Craven Handicap at Goodwood—
her last race. During the three seasons she was
in training she won eleven races and £10,420.
The disparity between Virago’s form as a
four-year-old and her brilliancy the previous year
is accounted for by the fact that she had become
a roarer, and a sad pity it was. After her failure
at Goodwood she was turned out of training and
sold to Lord Stradbroke, the brother of Admiral
Rous. As a brood mare she was not a success.
Mated with such sires as Orlando, The Flying
Dutchman, Stockwell, Kingston, Fandango, and
Thormanby, her only produce of any note was
her daughter Thalestris (by Kingston), who, as
a four-year-old, and carrying only 6 st. 2 Ib.,
won the Cesarewitch. Stradbroke, by Thor-
manby, born in 1864, was her last foal. She
was barren the three following years, slipped her
foal in 1868, and died in 1869. Thalestris, the

_ one filly out of Virago, was of no account at the

stud. There is, however, a prospering collateral
branch of the family, for Sacrifice, half-sister
(by Voltaire) to Virago, was the grandam of
Devotion, the dam of Thebais (winner of the
One Thousand and Oaks), and also of St. Mar-
guerite, the mother of Seabreeze (winner of the
Oaks and St. Leger), Tredennis, Le Var, and
of Roquebrune, the dam of Rock Sand. I have

20 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

always regarded Virago as a wonderful mare,
possessing remarkable speed and great powers
of endurance. Moreover, she was thoroughly
honest and endowed with a delightful tempera-
ment.

I have from time to time been asked whether

I approve of the low weights carried in handicaps © i

when I was a boy. My opinions on that subject
were stated in a letter I wrote to The Times in
1900 concerning the rule, just passed by the
Jockey Club, permitting apprentices to claim a
5 Ib. allowance in handicaps and selling races,
provided the weight carried was not less than
6 st.

“I would go further than this,” I wrote, “and
reduce the minimum weight in handicaps from 6 st. to
4 st. 7 lb. If this were done, lads would have gained
years of experience in riding before they reached the
weight we now start at. To say these little lads cannot
ride is all nonsense. Look at little Reiff and the boy
Wilde, the latter not more than 4 st.; they can ride !
Forty-seven years ago, when I first started racing, you
could have found twenty jockeys under 6 st. who
could ride. ‘The minimum then was 4st. We have gone
on raising the weights for the benefit of a few jockeys,
until we find ourselves stranded at last, with very little
native talent left. Hence the invasion of the Americans.
If the Jockey Club would only be persuaded to go back
to the 4st. 7 lb. minimum you would soon have an increase
of jockeys without having to go out of the country to
seek for them.”

THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 21

To the opinions I then expressed I still adhere.
The apprentice allowance has been subjected to
some restriction since 1900, because it was sup-
posed to spoil the big handicaps. In its modified
form the rule is still doing good work, but I
maintain that the same ends would be secured
more thoroughly and more effectively if the
minimum weight in handicaps was much below
that of 6 st., now in vogue.

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT

Tuovucnu Virago was far and away the best
of the horses trained at Michel Grove at this
period, there were others who brought no little
grist to the mill. When I went there in 1853
two of the boxes were occupied by Little Harry
and Rataplan, both belonging to Mr. Padwick.
A son of Epirus, Little Harry gained notoriety
in 1852 by starting a hot favourite for the Derby
and running unplaced. He was then owned by
Mr. J. Arnold and trained at Danebury. It
would seem that he passed into Mr. Padwick’s
possession immediately after his failure at Epsom,
because when, a fortnight later, he finished
second for the Gold Vase at Ascot, he ran in the
name of “ Mr. Howard,” the zom de course of
Mr. Padwick. Little Harry, who measured only
15.1, did not win a race that season. His best
performance was in the Goodwood Cup, in which
he was second to Kingston, and beat Teddington.
As a four-year-old he won the Leamington Stakes
and two unimportant races at Newmarket ; but it

was in the following year that he rewarded his
22

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT ~— 23

owner and trainer for their patience by winning
the Ascot Stakes. In 1855 Little Harry was
beaten a neck in the Ebor Handicap at York. He
may be summed up as a good horse for his inches,
but an unlucky one.

Rataplan made his appearance on the Turf
as a two-year-old in 1852. For a time he was
described as “‘ Brother to Stockwell,” who was
a year older. Carrying the colours of Mr.
Thellusson, his only success as a juvenile was in
a Sweepstakes at Brighton ; he was unplaced in
the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, and also in a
Nursery at Goodwood. It was as a three-year-
old, and a three-year-old only, that he ran for
Mr. Padwick, for by 1854 he had been passed on
to Mr. Tom Parr (whose horses were trained
at Ilsley or Wantage), for whom he picked up
Queen’s Plates all over the country. As a five-
year-old Rataplan once more raced as Mr. Thellus-
son’s. It may be, of course, that this gentleman
had only leased him to Mr. Padwick and then to
Parr. Anyway, Mr. Thellusson adopted Parr’s
plan, and exploited Rataplan as a Queen’s Plate
hunter. In the two years following the one he
was at Michel Grove he ran 62 times and won
36 prizes. Some years afterwards Parr pursued
the same tactics with Fisherman, and with even
more satisfactory results.

While at Michel Grove, Rataplan ran fourth
to West Australian in the Derby and third in the

24 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

St. Leger. In between he won the Gold Vase at
Ascot and a race at Stockbridge. After the St.
Leger he won a handicap at Newmarket, and ran
unplaced in the Cambridgeshire. I remember
him as a heavier and plainer-looking horse than
Stockwell, and as also showing less quality than
his brother. One morning when I was riding
Rataplan along Lee Farm Bottom—a track so
winding that you could not see far ahead—we
suddenly came upon a flock of sheep. Despite
my efforts, Rataplan refused to pull up, galloped
right through the flock, and killed two or three of
the sheep. The morning of the day he won at
Stockbridge he slipped his head collar and
muzzle, gorged himself with some hay that was
lying in his box, and drank all the water he found
in some buckets !

Rataplan’s half-brother, King Tom (by Harka-
way), was, in his early two-year-old days in 1853,
trained for his breeder, Mr. Thellusson, by
Wyatt, who lived at Myrtle Grove, Patching,
a farm half a mile away from Michel Grove.
Mr. Saunders Davies is now living at Myrtle
Grove. Wyatt sometimes brought King Tom
over to our gallops to be exercised, and on these
occasions I used to ride him. He was a big,
impressive-looking bay horse, whereas his half-
brothers, Stockwell and Rataplan, were both
chestnuts. It was during the Doncaster Meeting
of 1853 that Baron Rothschild agreed to give

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT 25

Mr. Thellusson £2000 for King Tom, who,
the following year, ran Andover to a length in the
Derby—his only race that season.

In 1854 we had at Michel Grove the two-
year-olds St. Hubert and Oulston, and the three-
year-old Scythian. The last-named was a bay
colt by Orlando. When a two-year-old, and the
property of General Anson, his only race was the
Biennial at Goodwood. Odds were laid on his
winning, but he was beaten by Marsyas. Mr.
Padwick then bought him, and as a three-year-old
he won four races (one being the Dee Stakes at
Chester) and finished fourth in the St. Leger.
It was, however, the following year that Scythian
did his owner the greatest service by winning
the Chester Cup, and at the same time gave
Parr a heavy blow. The latter had backed
his horse Mortimer to win a sum sufficient to
enable him to buy an estate he coveted, so he
must have suffered intense chagrin when he saw
Scythian beat Mortimer a head. Scythian was
a horse of nice quality and a thorough stayer.
He won a good trial prior to the Chester Cup,
and was well backed by the stable.

A bay colt by Melbourne out of Alice Haw-
thorn, Oulston won for Mr. Padwick three of the
four races he ran as a two-year-old. In the first
he defeated Saucebox, who, the following season,
was to win for Parr the Lincolnshire Handicap
and the St. Leger. As a three-year-old Oulston

26 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

won four races off the reel, one being the Vase
at Ascot (in which he beat his whilom stable
companion Rataplan) and another the Drawing
Room Stakes at Goodwood. He was second to
Baroncino in the Goodwood Cup and unplaced
in the St. Leger, for which he started second
favourite. At the end of that season he retired
to Lord John Scott’s stud at Cawston Lodge,
Rugby, where he had the company of Melbourne,
Birdcatcher, and Windhound. Oulston was
touched in his wind, or he would no doubt have
had a much better racing record, for he was a
pretty good horse.

St. Hubert, a colt by Surplice out of Ferina,
is an individual of no little importance so far as
the fashioning of my career is concerned, though
he never won a race. He belonged to Mr. Pad-
wick. As a two-year-old he did not run. The
following season he was engaged in the Two
Thousand and the Derby. When it was that
Day discovered St. Hubert to be a good colt I
do not know, but my recollection enables me to
say that the horse’s preparation for the Two
Thousand Guineas was anything but an orthodox
one. Under the immediate eye of the trainer,
the work. he did was of a very superficial character.
I can give positive evidence on this point, because
it was I who rode St. Hubert at exercise. Un-
known to Day, however, William Goater (who
was head lad at Michel Grove) was in the habit of

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT 27

giving the colt some short sharp gallops on the
way back to the stable. And so it came to pass"
that, when formally tried with Little Harry in
April, St. Hubert beat the older horse. Day was
even more surprised than Mr. Padwick.

Away over at Woodyeates, in Wiltshire, John
Day’s son, William, was training for Mr. James
Merry the colt Lord of the Isles. As a two-
year-old this son of Touchstone had won the
Lavant Stakes and the Biennial at Goodwood,
and was, therefore, known to be smart. It was
alleged that the Days, father and son, came to a
private arrangement whereby Lord of the Isles
was to be allowed “a clear course’ in the Two
Thousand and St. Hubert be similarly “ favoured’’
in the Derby. Viewed in the light of this under-
standing, the training to which St. Hubert was
subjected is explicable, and one may suppose
that John Day was alarmed as well as mystified
when he saw St. Hubert win his trial. Whether
he ever learned of the gallops Goater had given
the colt I cannot say. Mr. Padwick, however,
accepted the result of the trial as it stood, and
St. Hubert started an odds-on favourite for the
Two Thousand, which was his first race. Lord
of the Isles, at 5 to 2, was the only competitor
backed to beat him, and did beat him by a neck.

Then came a storm. Mr. Padwick, presum-
ably, was told that his trainer had intended

sacrificing St. Hubert for the benefit of Lord of

28 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the Isles. I am not saying this allegation was
founded on fact, but from what I have written it
will be gathered there was circumstantial evidence
to support the attitude Mr. Padwick assumed.
It would appear, indeed, that his suspicions were
aroused some little time before the Two Thousand
day, because he is stated to have sent to Findon
a Mr. Gannon, celebrated as a pigeon shot, to
keep an eye on St. Hubert and his doings. It
is further declared that Day became aware of the
““ spy’s ” arrival in the village and regarded the
stranger as “ an outrage on his dignity.” I have
a recollection of Mr. Gannon being spoken of as
a brilliant shot, but do not remember seeing him
or hearing of his arrival at Findon.

The end of the business was that John Day
and Mr. Padwick separated. So did William
Day and Mr. Merry. Mr. Padwick appointed
William Goater his private trainer. John Day
went to Woodyeates, where he spent his few
remaining years. After his quarrel with Mr.
Padwick he is reported to have said to one of his
friends, ““ You will be glad to hear that I have
taken care of myself. If I had not, I should like
to know who would have done so.” He died in
1860 of softening of the brain.

John Day was, to the last, held in the greatest
respect. As a trainer he erred, if at all, on the
side of severity ; but if any comment on this
point was made in his hearing he always excused

eer ttn ee

ei a EO gE RE ERO, A A Fo Ae

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT 29

himself by saying that he liked to know the best
and the worst. He preferred to have a horse
that could stay long courses rather than a mere
sprinter; he had, indeed, a poor opinion of a
horse who lacked stamina.

A few months before the rupture between
Day and Mr. Padwick we had moved from
Michel Grove to Findon, where, on the edge of
the Downs, Mr. Padwick built some stabling.
This is the establishment now occupied by Mr.
Robert Gore, the trainer of Jerry M., Cackler,
Covertcoat, and other good steeple-chasers. Since
the days of which I am now writing the place
has been considerably enlarged and improved.
In the valley, immediately in front of the house,
lies the village of Findon, with which some of
my most delightful memories are associated.
There it was I met and married my first wife,
Miss Moodie. There, too, I was able to indulge
my fondness for gardening—a fondness which
became intensified as the years passed. And all
the while I was mastering the details of the
trainer’s art. I had exceptional opportunities for
so doing. Not only did I perform the ordinary
duties that fall to the lot of an apprentice in a
training-stable ; I also assisted John Day to
keep his books, and gave other clerical aid.

After Day’s departure my _ responsibilities
increased. Splendid fellow though William
Goater was in many ways, he lacked scholarship.

30 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

It, therefore, fell to my lot to act as secretary—
almost, indeed, as manager. And remember I
was only seventeen years old. Mr. Padwick
must have had great faith in me. Money set
apart for running the stable was lodged in the
local bank in my name. I paid all bills and
wages, and kept the books. I even paid Goater,
my master, his wages! He did not mind in the
least. In addition to my secretarial work I
acted as head man to Goater, superintended the
feeding of the horses, looked after the other boys
and their meals, and when the horses needed
physic it was I who administered the balls. In
short, Goater did nothing beyond the actual
training of the horses.

Perhaps I should explain that I was no longer
an apprentice, for when Day left Findon my in-
dentures were cancelled. I continued, however,
to “do” one of the horses myself. Looking
back to that time I can only conclude that I must
have had a veritable passion for work. I was not
idle a moment. On a wet day, while the other
boys were whiling away the time in the saddle-
room, I would go to my horse and clean his
mane and tail until there was not a spot of dust
to be seen. If we were “ breaking” yearlings,
I would often sit on one of the youngsters in
his box and “mouth” him for an hour. No
doubt this industry was noticed by patrons of,
and visitors to, the stable, and to it I must

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT — 31

attribute largely the advancement that came to
me within the next few years.

Mr. Padwick had a house at Findon, which
was placed in charge of a caretaker and his wife.
I had rooms there, and in return for attendance
I paid for the schooling of the caretaker’s little
boy. Opposite the house there was a garden
which I rented, and in it I worked hard and
joyously in what little spare time I.had. Having
no use for most of the fruit and vegetables I
grew, I used to distribute the “crops” among
the villagers.

Many hard things were said about Mr. Pad-
wick. Because he was a money-lender as well
as a solicitor, there were people always ready to
fling abuse at him. He was, I should say, as
much sinned against as sinning. I always re-
garded him as a good sportsman; he was
certainly a nice man to deal with. He lived at
Horsham, and had a town house at No. 2 Hill
Street. His racing was conducted on strict
business lines, and he expected me to be able
to show him, by my books, exactly how he stood.

_ We have now got to 1855. While spending
a holiday at Rugeley that year I was brought
for a moment in contact with the crime for which
Palmer, the poisoner, was executed. Of a sport-
ing turn of mind, he had for many years horses
in training with Saunders at Hednesford, and
some of his animals were good enough to win

32, JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

big races. Palmer was a great gambler, and
when he had not money of his own to bet with
did not hesitate to employ the money of other
people ; that is to say, he would induce friends
and acquaintances to put money on for him. It
is believed that some of these men were murdered

when Palmer’s indebtedness to them became _

inconvenient. George Hodgman, who in those
days made a substantial “ book,” knew the
doctor very well, and had many dealings with
him, always had his suspicions about the fellow.
“There was an air of undesirable mystery about
his proceedings,” writes Hodgman. ‘“‘ He cared
not so much about the price of a horse he fancied
as the substantial character of the bet. It was,
my intuition taught me, only desirable to deal
with Palmer when he was known to be in funds.
Long before he was arrested for the murder that
justified his hanging he bore a most sinister
reputation.”

When, one morning during my holiday, I
was passing Palmer’s surgery, which was oppo-
site the Shrewsbury Arms, he called me to him.
‘““ Are you going out riding this morning ?”’ he
asked; “‘if so, and you go Hednesford way, I
wish you would take a note from me to Saunders
to tell him that Cook is dead.” I said I would
deliver the message, and did so. Cook was
lying dead in the Shrewsbury Arms. Formerly
a solicitor, he abandoned the law when he

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT 33

inherited a sum of £12,000 or £13,000, went on
the Turf, and there made Palmer’s acquaintance.
At the time of his death Cook was part owner,
with Palmer, of some horses trained by Saunders.
There had been bill transactions between the
two men, and Palmer should have met one for
£500 the day Cook died. The poisoning of
Cook was begun at Shrewsbury (where he,
Palmer, and some other friends celebrated the
victory of one of Cook’s horses) and was
completed at Rugeley.

When I arrived home for breakfast after
seeing Palmer, and told the family that Cook
was dead, my father remarked that it was very
strange so many people associated with Palmer
had died suddenly. He proceeded to recall the
cases within his knowledge. There were thirteen
of them. I never saw Palmer again. The
Coroner’s inquiry into Cook’s death revealed
strong evidence against Palmer, who was arrested.
Owing to the prejudice against him in Stafford-
shire he was tried in London, found guilty, and
hanged. It came out that Palmer’s wife died
nine months after her life had been insured by
her husband for £13,000 ; that four of his five
children died in convulsions within a few weeks
of their birth ; and that he had endeavoured to
effect heavy insurances on other relations and
acquaintances. Palmer’s racing stud was sold
at Tattersall’s in January 1856. Mr. Padwick

D

34 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

bought two of the yearlings, which in due course
came to Findon to be trained by Goater. Neither
was of any value for racing.

I have in my possession two letters written
by Palmer. One of these indicates the straits
in which he sometimes found himself. Palmer
wrote :

Will you please go with the bearer to Mr , and
ask him to send me £5 if he has it. If not, ask him
please to borrow it. ‘Tell him it is [words illegible] of
necessity, as you know. ‘Tell him how I am situated,
and also that I will do as much for him in return, the
first opportunity I have. I know he can borrow it for
me if he will. He shall have it back as soon as I have
money for you, which I hope will not be longer than a
week ; or else Jam sure I must go to jail. God bless you !
Do all you can for me. I must have the £5 somehow or
other.

That letter was given to me many years ago
as a curiosity. I may say it did not concern
any member of my family.

The other letter, which, like the first, is
undated, is of a still more poignant character.
Written to a solicitor, it reads :

My pear Sir—Why the name of God do you not
write me whatever are you doing I am sure I am almost
mad and what to do I know not I did think you would
have written me when you was aware of the importance
of the case I can assure my dear fellow I want advice now
very much and if you will not I most certainly must
apply elsewhere for you must be aware that I am in sad

2
Fd
it
.
‘
~

JOHN DAY’S RETIREMENT = 35

trouble I can assure you I have always considered you
as a kind friend now God bless you do write me per
Return of Post: I do hope and trust you have got me
some money by this time what in the world am I to do if
you would only write me telling me what answer I
ought to send to and I should be very much
obliged to you now I beg you write and see what
you can do with him now do write me by Return of
Post and very much obliged—Ever yours sincerely
Wm. PALMER.

Now I most certainly should expect a letter from you
per Return of Post without fail—Ww. P.

This second letter, with its lack of punctua-
tion, its grammatical errors and its agonised
appeals for assistance, reveals a thoroughly dis-
traught mind. Apparently it was written either
just before or just after Palmer’s arrest——probably
just before.

FINDON UNDER GOATER

We will now get back to Findon, where the
mantle of John Day had fallen on the shoulders q
of William Goater. The annals of the Turf of —

that day record the doings of three members of ~

the Goater family—the brothers William, Jim, —
and Harry. All three “ graduated” in William —
Day’s establishment at Woodyeates. Jim and ~
Harry were jockeys— Jim a very good one.

William never went in for race riding. Eventu-
ally Jim and Harry took the stables at Littleton, |
near Winchester, formerly occupied by the ©
Dillys, trainers of Mango, Alarm, and Muscovite.

Harry acted as trainer, while his brother was
jockey to the stable, and also had the cream ©
of the Findon riding. Jim succeeded Alfred
Day as first jockey to Lord Palmerston, who ~
had joined the Littleton stable. Harry Goater
trained Salpinctes to win the Cesarewitch.

My life at Findon under William Goater was
just ashappy as it had beenwith John Day. Goater —

was a capital trainer and a first-rate stableman. —

He was, too, a thoroughly conscientious man.
36 .

FINDON UNDER GOATER 37

I liked him, and I think I may say that he liked
me. I gladly give him credit for having taught
me a great deal. We worked well together.
Some men would have objected to a stripling
being put over them as I was put over him by
Mr. Padwick ; but Goater never showed any
resentment. Indeed, I think he was greatly
telieved by not having my work to do.

One of the horses Goater took over from John
Day was Mr. Padwick’s Yellow Jack, a chestnut
colt by Birdcatcher. A two-year-old in 1855,
his only race that season was in a Sweepstakes
at Newmarket in October, and he won. Inas-
much as odds of 6 to 1 were laid on him we must
have tried him to be pretty smart. The following
year Yellow Jack had a record which causes
him to be cited to this day as a luckless horse.
He ran in six races in 1856, and was invariably
placed second! The events in which he thus
_ failed were the Two Thousand Guineas (won by
Fazzoletto), the Chester Cup, the Derby (won by
Ellington), the Ascot Derby, the Goodwood Cup,
and a Sweepstakes at Doncaster. It was a most
tantalising sequence. Some people were inclined
to regard him as a shirker when the pinch came,
but in the stable we considered him a good,
honest horse, dogged by bad luck. He did not
race after his three-year-old days.

One of our two-year-olds of 1856 was
Chevalier d’Industrie, who, by Orlando, was the

38 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

last produce of the Priam mare Industry, winner
of the Oaks in 1838. He showed useful form that
season. The first time out he won the Whittle-
bury Stakes at Northampton. In the Chesterfield
Stakes at Newmarket he first of all dead-heated
for first place with Hernandez, but was beaten

in the run-off. Afterwards, at Goodwood, Blink —

Bonny defeated him. The following season
Chevalier d’Industrie ran unplaced in the Derby,

and finished second for the Epsom Cup the same |

afternoon—we often ran horses twice a day
then ; won the Gratwicke Stakes at Goodwood,
was again beaten by Blink Bonny at that meeting,
and was allowed to walk-over for the Brighton
Cup. This ended his Turf career, which was
certainly nothing to boast about. Standing 16
hands, he was a well-made chestnut horse. As
a sire, his chief claim to notice lies in the fact
that his daughter, Malpractice, was the grandam
of Isinglass. Mr. Padwick bought him from his
breeder, Mr. Greville.

The best of our juveniles in 18577 were Clydes- —

dale, by Annandale ; Perfection, a daughter of
Birdcatcher; Amsterdam, a colt by The Flying
Dutchman; and Eclipse, by Orlando. There
was also Rocket, who won the Cesarewitch as
a three-year-old. These animals all belonged

to Mr. Padwick. I stated that John Day, |
although nominally a private trainer, was allowed —
to have a few horses belonging to other owners; —

_— at 2 2 7 - a —apipe <
— a i —_—— —— — . Ee

FINDON UNDER GOATER 39

the same privilege was extended to Goater, one
of whose patrons was Mr. Lambert, who, in
1858, bought from Mr. Padwick the then
three-year-olds Rocket and Queenstown, paying
£800 for the two. The former was a colt by
Chatham, son of The Colonel; the latter a
daughter of Annandale. Neither of them won
a race as a two-year-old; indeed, they were both
maidens when they became Mr. Lambert’s
property. Lambert disposed of half his share
in Rocket to his friend Hodgman, and the latter
sold a moiety of his share to Edward Green.
Until the summer of his three-year-old days
Rocket was regarded, or treated, as a sprinter;
but in some way it was discovered that he was.
really a stayer. The confederates thereupon
resolved to put him in the Cesarewitch, and,
carrying 6 st. 4 lb., he won that race by a head
from Prioress and The Brewer, who dead-heated
for second place.
Clydesdale’s only race as a two-year-old was
a Biennial at Ascot, which he won. The follow-
ing year he finished third in the Two Thousand
- Guineas to Sir Joseph Hawley’s FitzRoland and
Lord Ribblesdale’s The Happy Land, beaten a
length and a half and four lengths. The three
jockeys were Wells, Fordham, and Goater.
Clydesdale started an equal first favourite with
The Peer. Odds of 16 to 1 were laid against
FitzRoland, and Sir Joseph Hawley was as

40 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

delighted as he was amazed by the way Wells
handled his mount. A few weeks later Wells,
we are told, again astonished Sir Joseph by
electing to ride Beadsman, instead of Fitz-
Roland, in the Derby when given his choice,
and justified the selection by again winning.
This was the Derby in which I rode Carmel,
who broke down. The association between the
baronet and Wells, which began about this time,
was continued for many years, with, on the whole,
very happy results.

Clydesdale, after running twice unplaced as
a four-year-old, was sold to Mr. Lambert, for
whom he ran second in the Craven Stakes at
Goodwood and third in the Cesarewitch. The
next year his only success was gained in a handi-
cap at Canterbury, and he passed out of training
without fulfilling the promise of his early days.
Lambert, who came to be associated with the
Findon stable, was of humble origin, but made
a good position for himself on the Turf. Though
inclined sometimes to be blusterous, I always
found him a thorough gentleman and absolutely
straight. |

With Perfection we were also third in the One
Thousand of 1858 and with Eclipse, ridden by
Fordham, fourth in the Derby. Eclipse was a
fine big bay horse by Orlando. In the New-
market Stakes he ran a dead-heat with Beadsman.
So faras the “classic ”’ races of that year were con-

FINDON UNDER GOATER 41

cerned, our luck was distinctly “out.’’ As a
two-year-old, Perfection won the Findon Stakes
at Goodwood and divided the Sapling Stakes at
York. The following season—her last on the
Turf—she only ran three times. For the Guineas
she started second favourite to Governess, the
winner; she ran unplaced in the Oaks, and was
beaten in a Sweepstakes at Newmarket on Cam-
bridgeshire day. Mr. Padwick then put her to
the stud, and is named as the breeder of her first
foal. Eventually Perfection found her way to
the Middle Park Stud, but her record as a brood
mare was not very grand. She went to Germany
in 1872.

Eclipse won the Clearwell Stakes at New-
market. In 1858 he carried off the Sale Stakes,
and dead-heated with Sir Joseph Hawley’s Beads-
man for the Newmarket Stakes. On the strength
of these performances he was, naturally, consider-
ably fancied for the Derby, and started second
favourite at Epsom to Toxophilite. Beadsman
won, Toxophilite finished second, and Eclipse
was placed fourth only—a disappointing result
for all at Findon. Eclipse was a bay colt out of
Gaze, a daughter of Bay Middleton; and was
bred by Mr. Greville. Later that year he won
a Biennial at Ascot, but was unplaced in the
St. Leger and the Cambridgeshire. Then he was
sold to go to the United States, where he became
a successful sire. The only “classic” race

42 JOHN:PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

credited to Mr. Padwick was the one gained by
Virago ; but he had a half-share in Andover, who,
in Mr. Gully’s name, won the Derby of 1854.
Mr. John Gully, an occasional visitor at
Michel Grove and Findon, was a remarkable man,
and a very prominent figure on the Turf. Born

at Bristol in 1783, he went to London when still.

in his teens, became an inmate of the Debtors’
Prison, was ‘‘ bought out ”’ in order that he might
take part, as a principal, in a prize fight, became
successively the champion pugilist, a publican
in the neighbourhood of Lincoln’s Inn Fields,
a bookmaker and commission agent, an owner
of racehorses, a big property owner, a colliery
proprietor, and Member of Parliament for Ponte-
fract, near to which borough—at Ackworth,
where he lies buried—he lived for a time.

Mr. Gully’s horses went to Danebury when
those of Lord George Bentinck were removed.
There the Days won him the Two Thousand
with The Ugly Buck, the Derby with Pyrrhus
the First, and the Oaks with Mendicant. The
two last-named animals were owned jointly by
Gully and Day. Mendicant, when a four-year-
old, was sold to Sir Joseph Hawley for £3000
or thereabouts, and bred for him the Derby
winner Beadsman. As for Pyrrhus the First

he begat the brilliant Virago, but his other off- it

spring were not of much account, and eventually
he was sold to go to France.

Te Oe ER PE at Oe ee ee te in a lr eee

SNE I EO,

|
|
|
|

FINDON UNDER GOATER = 43

The first time I saw Mr. Gully at Michel
Grove I was riding a very lively mare—I think it
was Trickstress. She was in a particularly awk-
ward mood that morning, and proved a rare hand-
ful. But, despite her strenuous efforts to dislodge
me from the saddle, I kept my seat. Mr. Gully
was an interested spectator of this tussle, and
when it was all over congratulated me on the skill
with which I had handled the mare—and gave
me half-a-crown |! He was then over seventy years
of age, but I remember him as a fine figure of a
man, standing very erect. If I had known as
much about his history then as I knew afterwards
I should, no doubt, have been more interested
in him, and perhaps have thought more of his
half-crown.

After the season 1858 Mr. Padwick disposed
of his horses, but in 1860 he renewed his associa-
tion with the Turf under the name of “ Mr.
Henry.” The disguise, however, deceived no
one, because his colours were the old familiar
‘black, orange cap.” In 1865 they were doubly
registered—under his own name as well as that
of “ Mr. Henry,” and this duality was continued
until 1869, when the name “ Henry ”’ was aban-
doned, to be replaced in 1872 by that of “‘ Mr.
Bruton.” As my good friend John Corlett
reminded me shortly before his death in 1916, it
was as ‘Mr. Bruton” that Mr. Padwick, in
1873, raced Couronne de Fer, a colt he eventually

44. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

sold to Lord Rosebery. After severing his con-
nection with the Findon stable, Mr. Padwick
placed his horses with John Scott and Alfred Day.

Mr. Padwick died in 1879. The Turf
writers seem to have thought that the less they
said about him the better. He had got himself

into bad odour in the middle ’sixties owing

to his transactions with the ill-fated Marquis
of Hastings —transactions that called forth the
famous letter of Admiral Rous to The Times
in which the stinging phrase “the spider
and the fly” occurred. Baily’s “Van Driver,”
whose obituary notices of Turf personalities
were generally of generous dimensions, dismissed
Mr. Padwick with a notice extending t to about
twenty lines only. He wrote:

The death of Mr Padwick removes from the scene a
name for the last thirty years or more intimately as-
sociated, for good or evil, with Turf history. A country
solicitor in good position and practice, he, on the retire-
ment of Lord George Bentinck, became, with his client
Mr. Mostyn, the temporary proprietor of that nobleman’s
stud. How it was re-sold to Lord Clifden we all know,
but from that time Mr. Padwick was a racing man. He
was not very fortunate in the horses he bought, but he
was extremely happy in their sale. . . . Mr Padwick tried
hard to get good horses, and we fear the mania for giving
large sums for young stock owes much of its rise and
influence to his example. A man of mature age and
experience giving four figures for a yearling was an in-
centive to the young plungers of the day to do likewise,

FINDON UNDER GOATER = 45

and during what is called “ the Hastings era ” the evil was
at its height. Mr. Padwick’s connection with Lord
Hastings, the history of The Earl and Lady Elizabeth, etc.,
are incidents too fresh to need recalling; nor, indeed,
would it be profitable to do so. . . . Those who knew
him well esteemed him for a warmth of heart and general
kindness of disposition for which the outside world hardly
gave him credit.

The tribute paid to Mr. Padwick in the last
two or three lines entirely bears out what I said
about him earlier. He may not have been all
that a man should be in his dealings with others,
but so far as my personal experience went I had
no occasion to think of him otherwise than as a
friend.

_ After the departure of Mr. Padwick, William
Goater, and I with him, remained at Findon.
The stable now became a “public” one. I
continued to discharge the duties I had under-
taken in Mr. Padwick’s time, Goater of course
now providing the money for expenses, Every-
thing went smoothly, for the successful way in
which the stable was conducted after John Day’s
retirement ensured all the patronage desired.
Among the owners who sent us horses were
Mr. W. Blake, of Worthing; Mr. W. G. Craven,
a nephew of Lord Craven; Mr. Savile; Lord
Westmoreland, and the Marquis of Anglesey.

Lord Westmoreland joined the stable in 1861,
when he was twenty-six years of age. I have

46 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the kindliest recollections of him, for he was a
real good friend to me. The first racehorses
he owned were two or three he bought from
Mr. Blake. These animals were at the time being
trained by Goater, and were allowed to remain.
Lord Westmoreland also placed some horses
with William Day at Woodyeates, but those he
had with us were the more successful. Among
them were Merry Hart, a chestnut colt by The
Fallow Buck; and Bones, a chestnut colt by
Colsterdale. Both were two-year-olds in 1862.
The previous year a friend of Goater’s, George
Bartle, who was a watchmaker at Brigg, in
Lincolnshire, sent word that he had two yearling
colts for sale. I was packed off to inspect them.
When I saw them they had never been in a stable,
nor even had a head-collar on. They resembled
two Shetland ponies. However, they seemed
promising, and I bought the two for less than
£100. They were Merry Hart and Bones.
Bones won three races as a two-year-old, and
one the following year, when owned by John
Nightingall, but he was extremely moderate.
One of his juvenile successes was gained in a
Match over half a mile at the Liverpool Summer
Meeting against Mr. W. G. Craven’s Elsie
Venner. Bones is referred to in the Calendar
report of the contest as ‘‘ Lord Westmoreland’s.”
I have reason to believe, however, that he was
then temporarily the property of Lord Sefton.

sete cceilintipiiainn

FINDON UNDER GOATER 47

The transfer had taken place the previous day,
when Bones ran second for a Sweepstakes.
Immediately after the Match he reverted to
Lord Westmoreland. Bones was, I think, the
_ only racehorse Lord Sefton ever owned, and he
_used laughingly to boast to me that he was
“still invincible” because no horse of his had
ever been beaten!

a Merry Hart was in a different class. He
_.ran eighteen times as a two-year-old, and was
_ first past the post on seven occasions, The
following year he was one of the leading figures
in the Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, over
which there was the bother about the loaded

i scales. Although long odds were betted against

_ Merry Hart, we thought he had a very good
_ chance of winning. He was beaten a head by
_ William Day’s Catch ’em Alive, who started
second favourite at 4 to 1. The following extract
from the Calendar explains what then happened:

__ When the jockeys returned to weigh after the race,
the Clerk of the Scales found that the rider of Catch ’em
Alive did not draw the proper weight. He was first
weighed without a whip, and a whip was afterwards
given to him, which was stated to be the one he rode
with; this barely made him weight, and the owner of.

_ the second horse objected to the jockey being weighed

with anything given to him after he got into the scale.
_ The Clerk of the Scales requested the Stewards to come
into the weighing-room, and they decided that a jockey
not having brought his whip with him into the scale

48 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

could not afterwards weigh with it, and it plainly appeared
that the jockey did not draw his proper weight. The
rider of Merry Hart had been previously weighed and
passed by the Clerk of the Scales, and the Stewards were
on the point of giving the race in his favour, when the rider
of Summerside (who finished third), was weighed and he
also was found short of weight. On this the Stewards

directed the scales to be examined, when it was found —

that they were not correct, and that some lead had been
fastened on the bottom of the weight scale. When this
was removed, and the scales adjusted, the Stewards felt
satisfied that the rider of Catch’ em Alive would have
drawn his proper weight if the scales had been adjusted
before he was weighed, and the Clerk of the Scales, on
being questioned, having assured them that he had no
doubt on the subject, the Stewards declared that Catch em
Alive was the winner of the race. A reward of £50
was afterwards offered by the Jockey Club for such
information as should lead to the discovery of the person
or persons who had fastened the lead to the scales,

The reward was never claimed, but it is
said that many years afterwards the son of an
employee of the Jockey Club confessed on his
deathbed that he was the guilty party, and that
he was in league with some men in the betting
ring, who had planned to take advantage of the
fraud that was attempted.

Aurelian, by Stockwell out of Zenobia, was
another pretty good horse I found at Brigg. I
happened to see him in a blacksmith’s shop
when he was a yearling, having his feet pared,

te |

ee ee ee aes sit a a i -2

_

M

FINDON UNDER GOATER 49

and, taking a fancy to him, bought him. Passed
on to “ Mr. Hamilton” (a name assumed by
Mr. Blake, I think), his first race was the Derby
of 1861, and, ridden by Jim Goater, he finished
fourth to Kettledrum, Dundee, and Diophantus.
He was only beaten a length, a head, and a neck.
Well backed for the St. Leger, he again ran
unplaced. He won the Oatlands at Newmarket
that year, and a Queen’s Plate at Lincoln in
1862, while in the latter season he was fourth in
the Cambridgeshire. He afterwards became the
property of Lord Westmoreland, for whom he
won some minor races; but he disappointed us,
because at one time he looked like developing
into a good horse.

Among the few horses Mr. Savile had in
training at Findon was The Ranger, a brown colt
by Voltigeur out of Skirmisher’s dam. He did
not run as a two-year-old, but the following
season, 1863, after winning the Biennial at
Newmarket, and finishing unplaced in the Derby
to Macaroni and Lord Clifden, he gained
notoriety by winning the first Grand Prix de
Paris. I was in charge of him during that
trip. It was my first visit to Paris. Other
English horses in the race were Lord Clifden
and Saccharometer. Nobody was more delighted
than George Fordham when he learned that Lord
Clifden (whofinished fifth only) had suffered defeat.
He had been roundly scolded for “allowing”

so JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Macaroni to beat Lord Clifden (his mount) by
a head in the Derby, and was greatly piqued
when Chaloner (who had ridden Macaroni) was
put up on Lord Clifden in the Grand Prix. So
far as he was concerned, Lord Clifden’s failure
in Paris more or less squared matters.

The favourite for the Grand Prix was the
French filly La Toucques, against whom odds ~
of 9 to 4 were laid. Then came Lord Clifden at
5 to 2, Saccharometer at 4 to 1, and The Ranger
at 5 to 1. We had been given to understand
that Saccharometer (owned by Lord Strathmore),
who, like our horse, had been unplaced in the —
Derby, was strongly fancied. He and The ~
Ranger were quartered in the same stable in
Paris. I found that the journey to France had
upset Saccharometer, and he was off his feed.
Those with him tempted him with sundry
delicacies, but to no purpose, and I came to the
conclusion that we had little to fear in that
quarter. The Ranger was a bad mover in his’
slow paces, and when Lord Strathmore saw him

at exercise the day before the race he said to

me, in a somewhat contemptuous way, “ Why,
the beggar cannot even trot.” Rather nettled
by his remark, I retorted: “‘ Never mind that,
my lord; he can eat.” And his lordship dis-
covered the following day that The Ranger

could also race to good purpose, for, ridden by #

Jim Goater, he won the Grand Prix, beating La

FINDON UNDER GOATER 51

Toucques by a length. Saccharometer came in
third, two lengths away.

The prize was worth £5240, in addition to
a Cup given by the Emperor Napoleon. After
the race I was presented to the Emperor and
Empress. We drank Mr. Savile’s health out of
the tankard.. I must add that Lord St. Vincent
had his revenge in the St. Leger, which Lord
Clifden won, The Ranger being unplaced.

It was at Findon that I first met George
Fordham, then at the beginning of his brilliant
career as a jockey. A native of Cambridge, he
was apprenticed, when ten years old, to Richard
Drewitt, who trained at Lewes. As a boy he
could ride at about 4 st. 7 Ibs., and very quickly
made his mark. We often saw him at Findon,
for he used to come over from Lewes to ride
in trials, particularly for Mr. Lambert, who was
one of his earliest admirers. Mr. Ned Smith
(“ Mr. Mellish ”) too was another owner who
liked to secure his services.

In later years George and I became close
friends, and I may relate here an amusing
“adventure ”’ we had one day at Littlehampton,
on the coast a few miles west of Worthing. A
race meeting was held on the sands there, and
Fordham took a little hunting mare of his named
Levity to run in one of the events for ponies.
Mr. Mannington, the Brighton “ vet,” a great
friend of Fordham’s, was one of our party.

52 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Professional jockeys were barred, and the youth
who rode Levity won a heat on her by boring
his opponent into the sea! Before the final heat
was run the question was raised whether Levity
was the right height. The measurement standard
was accordingly produced, and the “ test” took

place on the sands. With the assistance of

sundry taps of Fordham’s whip on her shoulder,
the mare was finally passed. Then, however,
one of the stewards, inspired by a flash of common
sense, suddenly realised that to take the measure-
ment on the sands was farcical. It was thereupon
agreed that Levity should be measured again
standing on the flagstones in front of the steward’s
house. The whole party proceeded thither, and,
probably invited to have drinks, went indoors:
Impelled by his love of a joke, Fordham gravely
followed the others into the house, sti// leading
his pony. He was just about to take her into
the dining-room when he was discovered. When
in one of his funny moods he was irrepressible.
Levity in due course ran in the final heat, and
was beaten by an animal ridden by a butcher boy.
A local tout called Lowry, with a view to showing
his friendliness towards Fordham, waited until
the critical moment, and then tipped over the
sentry-box which accommodated the judge! We
had a great day. I may say that when serious
business was toward Fordham’s conduct was
always exemplary. He had beautiful hands, and

oo =p Te
a —_

FINDON UNDER GOATER 53

horses that stronger men could do nothing with
went kindly enough for him.

Those were days when good jockeys were
plentiful. Of course a few riders stood out by

_ reason of their superlative abilities, but the

general average of excellence was unquestionably
higher than it has been of late years. It is really
deplorable that during the last two decades we
have had to go to America and Australia for our
best jockeys. I remember the time when, if I
had a horse good enough to run for the Derby
I could find twenty jockeys good enough to
tide him. Why was that? It was because
jockeys had then had years of experience
before they arrived at the weight at which we
now start.

In my opinion apprentices do not get the
encouragement they should receive. Owners
ought to back up the efforts of their trainers in
“schooling” boys, There is no lack of boys
who can ride well; it is the opportunity they
require. We fiddle too much on two or three
strings. The advantage derived from utilising
the services of apprentices attached to the stable
is too frequently overlooked. It should not be
forgotten that these youths are under the personal
supervision of the trainer, that they are riding
the horses daily, and are thus gaining a know-
ledge of their peculiarities. It is most essential
to “ know ”’ a horse in order to get the best out

54 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of him, for horses, like human beings, differ in
temperament and disposition.

Pursuing this question of jockeyship into a
somewhat different vein, I may say that I have
seen three jockeys so gifted that they may be
described as geniuses. They represented three

distinct styles of riding. The first of them was —

George Fordham. He rode with a medium
stirrup just short enough to clear the pommel
of the saddle with a little to spare. Taking tight
hold of his horse’s head, he leaned slightly
forward, with his hands resting on the horse’s
withers, thus throwing the weight on to the
shoulders. The position enabled him to drop
into the saddle and control a horse when in
difficulties, and drive him straight home at the
finish of the race.

Then came Archer, with his long legs and
short body, riding with a long stirrup and a long
rein. He had many imitators, but “they were
not made that way.” Archer was not a finished
horseman like —Tom Cannon and others that I
could name. It was his indomitable energy, his
wonderful nerve, his power of embracing oppor-
tunities during a race, that made him so superior
to others. He was always ready to ride your
trials, he was generally the first to weigh out for
a race and the first at the starting-post; in fact,
his whole soul was in the business.

The next to appear, and to set a very different

a

SE ae een,

FINDON UNDER GOATER $5

style, was Sloan. From the long stirrup and
long rein, he passed to the other extreme—the
short stirrup and short rein. Here again we
found a genius, who not only set a new fashion
in riding races, but showed us a new way in
running them. Instead of the slow, muddling
way of waiting, we had races run through as they
should be. In this Sloan showed his superiority
by his knowledge of pace. He did not ride from
pillar to post as others are apt to do, but at a
pace that would give his horse a chance to carry
him to the end of a race.

Between Archer and Sloan, I think, Fordham
showed the happy medium, and his is the style
of riding that should be taught and encouraged.
I do not think either the extremes of Archer
or Sloan can give the power and control over a
horse that are so needful.

We had some fine training gallops on good
Down land at Michel Grove and Findon. Some
of them afforded first-rate going in all weathers.
In early spring the best ground was however,
at Findon, nearest to the stables. Our principal
gallops were on the Munthum side of the village.
The land there belonged to the Dowager Mar-
chioness of Bath, who lived at Munthum Court.
Black Patch, which we used in very dry weather,
is now part of the Downs on which Mr. Saunders
Davies trains his horses. A good deal of the
land we galloped over has of late years been

56 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

cultivated. Towards the close of 1913 I visited
Michel Grove and Findon for the first time for
forty years. The Michel Grove stables have
been extended ; but otherwise I saw few changes.
The old stables looked very familiar, and brought
back many interesting memories.

I had, it will have been gathered, a wonderful - _

time at Findon, considering I was only a boy.
There was not a house in the place at which I
was not a welcome visitor, and all the gentry in
the neighbourhood were extremely kind to me.
The vicar was Dr. Cholmondeley, a fine old man.
He it was who prepared me for Confirmation
and afterwards “* married ’’ me.

I am sometimes asked what differences there
are between stable life in the present day and in
the days of my youth. Perhaps we were rather
more regular in our habits fifty years ago. In
the summer we were always on the Downs by
five o’clock in the morning, and in the winter
were out as soon as it was light. I am bound
to say, however, that I do not think there was any
great. virtue in keeping those excessively early
hours, especially in winter. But, of course, if
you have a lot of horses to exercise, and have to
deal with them in batches, a more or less early
start is necessary.

. _ —" -* SS ee = lee .
ae cece a ——

. tt Se A a Ce Be hepatica!

MY START AS A TRAINER

Towarps the end of 1862, or early in 1863,
it came to my knowledge that Mr. Savile, of
Rufford, wished to engage a private trainer.
Here, I thought, was my chance. As a patron
of the Findon Stable, Mr. Savile knew me, and
I had reason to suppose he would consider me
capable of taking charge of his horses. Having
recently married, I was particularly anxious to
improve my position, and had no doubt that,
thanks to the experience I had gained while
under John Day and William Goater, I was
qualified to assume the control of a training-
stable. But before taking any decisive step I
consulted Lord Westmoreland, who had, in
many ways, shown an interest in my welfare ;
and I may say that other patrons of the stable
were also very kind to me. I firmly believe it
was my close application to work, and my readi-
ness to do more than mere routine duties, that
caused these noblemen and gentlemen to favour
me as they did.

Somewhat to my surprise, Lord Westmore-

57

$8 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

land urged me not to apply for the post of private
trainer to Mr, Savile. “I shall,” he said, “‘ be
able to find you a berth presently.” I was
content to abide by his advice, and within a
very short time discovered that I had done wisely.
George Manning, who had been training for Sir
Joseph Hawley at Cannon Heath, near Kings-
clere, died in 1863, after a long illness. Lord
Westmoreland had this pending event in mind
when he told me to wait. It was the month of
July, and I had to pass through London with the
horses we were running at Liverpool. Lord
Westmoreland gave me a letter of recommenda-
tion to Sir Joseph, and told me to present it to
him at his town house, 34 Eaton Place. I
called at that address, and was taken to Sir
Joseph. After he had read the letter I handed
to him he looked at me and said, in a tone that
implied incredulity :

‘“'You are not the John Porter mentioned
here, are you?” “ Yes, sir, 1 am,” I replied.
“‘ But you are only a boy!” “* Give mea chance,
Sir Joseph. I think I can manage the horses.”
‘‘ Call and see me on your way back from Liver-
pool,” said Sir Joseph, as he dismissed me.

And away I went, feeling that what Lord
Westmoreland had written in his letter had
carried considerable weight. Only a boy! Yes,
that was what my appearance suggested. I
looked about eighteen, but was, in fact, twenty-

MY START AS A TRAINER 59

five, and a married man! Returning from
Liverpool, I called again at Sir Joseph’s house,
and, to my great joy, found he had practically
decided to “ give me a chance.” He took me
to Cannon Heath to show me the stables. Their
condition horrified me. Every nook and corner
was filled with cobwebs; the stable-yards were
overgrown with weeds, and wherever one looked
there were signs of untidiness and neglect.

“Come back in a fortnight, Sir Joseph, and
I will show you a difference,” I said, when we
had completed the inspection.

The head lad at Cannon Heath was much
older than I, and it was a bitter disappointment
to him when he realised that I had been put over
him. He was, indeed, inclined to be very nasty.
The first three mornings he went out with me
when the horses were exercised. I required his
aid until I had learned the geography of my
surroundings. ‘The fourth morning I said to
him, “I shan’t want you out to-day; you can
stay at home.” ‘‘ Why?” he asked, indignantly.
“ Because I want all the cobwebs swept away,
and the stable-yard cleared of weeds. You can
see to that.”

- He looked sulky and said he did not think
he would suit me. “If,” I said, “you think
cobwebs and weeds are all right in a racing stable
you certainly won’t suit. But if you are ready
to work with me, I don’t see why we should not

60 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

get on well together. Understand, however,
there’s going to be only one master here, and
that’s not you.”

This lecture had the desired effect. The
fellow became a good servant. A few days
later Sir Joseph came to see how we were getting
on. He noted the changes I had already made.
** All right,” he said, ‘ you will do.”

And so my association with the Findon
Stable ended, and I found myself launched on a
more or less independent career; at any rate
a career that carried with it increased responsi-
bilities.

It is perhaps worth mentioning that, but for
a good-natured action on his part, Sir Joseph
Hawley would, when I joined him, have been
training at Newmarket. At the sale of the
Duke of Bedford’s stud in 1861 Sir Joseph and
William Butler, the trainer, were the bidders
for the house and stables. Naturally, the
baronet was able to, and did, outbid his rival.
Then, learning that Butler had set his heart on
buying the place, Sir Joseph offered to let him
have it. “‘ You need not decide now; sleep
over it,’ he said. The following morning
Butler thankfully accepted the offer, and Sir
Joseph remained on at Cannon Heath.

Sir Joseph Hawley, who now becomes the
central figure in my story, was born in 1814, and
was the third holder of the baronetcy created in

os a a a i ‘ _—

MY START AS A TRAINER 61

1795. For a brief period he served in the
army as a cavalry officer, but, finding the life
was not to his liking, he retired and went yacht-
ing in the Mediterranean. Then for a time
he settled in Italy. It was at Florence that
he acquired his love for racing. He and Mr.

J. M. Stanley (afterwards Sir Massey Stanley-

Errington) became confederates, imported some
platers from England, and ran them with a fair
measure of success. In 1844 Sir Joseph was
back in England, and that year his name appeared
for the first time in the Racing Calendar. ‘The
few horses he owned at that period were trained
for him by Beresford at Newmarket. A notable
success came to him early, for in 1847 his filly
Miami, whom he had bought from Isaac Saddler,
won the Oaks—a triumph foreshadowed when,
the previous year, she defeated The Cossack in
the July Stakes. The Cossack, trained at Dane-
bury for Mr. Pedley, won the Derby.

Thus encouraged, Sir Joseph gave Mr. Gully
£3000 for the filly Mendicant, who had run
St. Lawrence to a head for the Chester Cup.
It was confidently hoped that Mendicant would
win the Ascot Cup, but no sooner had she become
the property of Sir Joseph than she went amiss,
and her effort at Ascot was a dire failure. For
the moment Mendicant looked a bad bargain;
in reality she was a treasure. Beadsman was
one of her produce, and when that colt scored

62 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

in the Derby Sir Joseph Hawley won something
like £80,000. In 1849 Fernhill, bought from
Mr. Parr, won the Great Metropolitan and the
Northamptonshire Stakes, and Vatican was suc-
cessful in the Newmarket Stakes. Aphrodite,
in 1850, carried Sir Joseph’s colours—“ cherry,
black cap’’—to victory in the Chesterfield
Stakes, and dead-heated with Grecian in the
July Stakes, achievements she followed up the
next year by carrying off the One Thousand
Guineas.

Then came the victory of Teddington in the
Derby of 1851. By this time the partnership
with Mr. J. M. Stanley had been renewed, and
the confederacy horses placed under the care of
Alec Taylor at Fyfield, near Marlborough. It
was Mr. Stanley who brought Teddington into
the service of “‘ the firm,” but the colours he
carried in the Derby were Sir Joseph’s. The
partners, “‘ and all the gentlemen,” won hugely
over the race. Davis, the biggest bookmaker
of the day, is said to have paid out £100,000,
“and took no more notice of it than he was wont
to do of his washing-bill.”” Job Marson, the
successful jockey, received from Teddington’s
owners a present of £2000, and another £1000
from other sources. This excessive liberality
was an evil engendered by the heavy betting
then prevalent. I have always held the opinion
that racing has suffered owing to the tendency

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MY START AS A TRAINER 63

to bestow upon jockeys extravagant emoluments.
It has been the ruin of many of them.

At the end of the season 1851 the public
heard with astonishment that Sir Joseph Hawley
had decided to quit the Turf. His reason for
retiring was the annoyance occasioned him by
criticism regarding the running of a filly called
Breba in the Oaks and the Cambridgeshire, and
by an allegation that the sale by him of Vatican
to Mr. Morris was not a legitimate one. There
was a great rumpus over this Vatican business.
The race it arose from was the Doncaster Cup,
for which Sir Joseph had entered two horses—
Vatican and The Ban. He sold the former to
Morris before the race. Both horses ran, and
The Ban won. At that time there was a Rule of
Racing which decreed “that no person can run,
either in his own name or in the name of any
other person, two horses of which he is wholly
or in part the owner, for any plate.’’ After the
race Mr. Saxon, the owner of The Beach Doctor,
who finished second to The Ban, objected to
the winner on the ground that Sir Joseph Hawley
had run two horses in the race. The matter was
referred to the Stewards of the Jockey Club—
Lord Glasgow, General Peel, and Captain H.
Lowther. They decided that there was a dona
fide sale of Vatican, but expressed the opinion
that the Doncaster Stewards ought not to have
allowed the horse to run, because, having been

64 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

entered in Sir Joseph Hawley’s name, he would
not have been entitled to the cup if he had come
in first. Inasmuch, however, as Vatican had been
allowed to start as Mr. Morris’s property, the
objection to The Ban could not be sustained.

Though Sir Joseph’s good name was thus
cleared, his feelings were sadly ruffed. He sold
the greater part of his stud under the hammer,
but reserved Cowl, The Confessor (who had
run second in the Two Thousand, and won the
Great Yorkshire Handicap), Mendicant (who
did not make her reserve of 500 guineas), and half
a dozen fillies, who were added to the breeding
stud at Leybourne Grange, Sir Joseph’s home,
near Maidstone.

Not many months had elapsed before Sir
Joseph’s disgust was overpowered by the mag-
netism of the Turf. He sadly missed the interest
and excitement his racehorses had afforded him;
and so within a year he was back on the Turf.
He now became a patron of John Day at Dane-
bury. ‘The venture was, however, attended with
ill-luck, and two years later he decided to have a
stable of his own. Engaging George Manning
(who had been head lad to Percy, at Pimperne) as
his private trainer, he installed him at Cannon
Heath. Among the yearlings he sent to Man-
ning were Beadsman and FitzRoland. The
former he had bred himself ; the latter he bought
for 410 guineas at the Hampton Court sale.

MY START AS A TRAINER 65

They were both so unpromising as youngsters
that Sir Joseph offered to give them to anybody
who would take over their engagements. For-
tunately for him, the racing world had by this
time come to regard his judgment with so much
respect that his offer was not accepted. Horses
that he looked upon with so much contempt
were not, it was argued, likely to prove profitable
to other people. That offer must have rankled

in many a man’s mind after FitzRoland had won

the Iwo Thousand, and Beadsman the Derby !
The following year Musjid (bought at the Tick-
hill sale, after others had rejected him) won for
Sir Joseph another Derby, and a tremendous sum
in bets.

When, therefore, I became his trainer Sir
Joseph Hawley had already accomplished much
more on the Turf than is achieved in a lifetime
by most men who thereon woo the goddess
Fortune. At first he struck me as a man of
somewhat stern manners, and one I might have
some difficulty in pleasing. But I soon altered
my opinion. The closer I came in contact with
him the more I liked him. He was a fine fellow,
Sir Joseph.

There were twelve horses at Cannon Heath
when I assumed control of the stable at the end
of July 1863. One was Asteroid, a five-year-
old son of Stockwell. He had won the Chester
Cup that year, but when he came under my care

F

66 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

he had a “leg.” I only ran him once—in a _
handicap at Newmarket the following spring ,

and. he then failed.

Sir Joseph Hawley was now, and had been for
some years, breeding all or nearly all the horses
he raced. His stud was at Leybourne, where
he kept about twelve brood mares. I made a
practice of going there every year to see the foals
and yearlings. The stud groom, a man named ~

Tweed, was an extremely capable and very

superior servant. There. were several beautiful

paddocks, and the establishment as a whole ©

was maintained in first-class order. The Derby a
winners, Beadsman and Musjid, were both stand-
ing there as stallions. After Sir Joseph’s death ~
Leybourne Grange was occupied for some years 7
by Mr. T. Phillips, a hop grower and merchant. 7
He had as one of his stallions the Two Thousand ~

winner Galliard. So farasIcanrememberI never
_ in any one season received more than six yearlings
bred by Sir Joseph, and after I joined him he —

bought very few horses.

The first race meeting I attended as a trainer —

was that at Doncaster in September, and there

I won a couple of races with the three-year-old

filly Columbia, and the two-year-old Washington.

They were by an American-bred stallion named

Charleston, whom Sir Joseph had bought. The : 4

races they won were those immediately pre-

ceding the St. Leger, in which Lord Clifden was ‘

se

MY START“AS A TRAINER 67

successful. Wells rode Washington. He was
retained by Sir Joseph at a salary of £100 per
annum. That figure also represented my own
salary ; but I must add that Sir Joseph was very
liberal in the way of presents. Neither Wells nor
I had any cause to complain. I was glad to
have the services of Wells at my disposal. We
were old friends and I could rely upon him
implicitly.

St. Alexis, by Stockwell out of Mendicant,
was another horse I won a race with that year—
the Great Eastern Railway Handicap at New-
market, at the end of September. He was then
a gelding. I had been using him as a hack,
because he was supposed to be too roguish to have
any further value as a racehorse. I humoured
him as much as possible, allowing him to
stand about on the training ground and watch
the other horses doing their work. In the end
he became perfectly quiet, and Sir Joseph was
delighted when I got a race out of him. We
then sold him, and he won three races the follow-
ing year. One morning during the time I was
using St. Alexis as a hack, I waited behind, after
the horses had gone away to the exercise ground,
to get my letters. When these arrived I set off
for the Downs. Forgetting the character of the
animal I was riding, I let the reins fall slack
and began to read one of my letters. St. Alexis
suddenly bucked, and I was thrown into the

68 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

hedge at the roadside. St. Alexis then trotted
off home, well content with his morning’s work.

It happened, somewhat unfortunately, that I
had gone to Sir Joseph at a time when his Turf
fortunes were at a low ebb. The three winners
I saddled in 1863 brought in £2180; while in
1864 and the two following years the totals were
£2485, £3360, and £1425. Every stable has
its lean years, and at this period we had to
contend with the moderate character of the out-
put from the Leybourne Grange Stud. Sir
Joseph was, however, very patient, and when at
last the Fates again bestowed their favours he
reaped a substantial reward.

In 1863 Lord Annesley bought, for 880
guineas, a bay colt by Newminster out of Secret,
by Melbourne. A half share in the youngster was
offered to, and accepted by, Sir Joseph Hawley.
He was named Bedminster. A smallish horse,
he had an inclination to turn his toes out. As
a two-year-old he showed considerable promise,
and greatly disappointed us when, the first time
out, he ran unplaced in the Champagne Stakes
at Doncaster, for which he started second
favourite to Gardevisure, who was beaten a neck
by Mr. Merry’s Zambezi. I had tried Bed-
minster for that race to be 10 lb. and a neck
behind the three-year-old Washington. At the
Newmarket Second October Meeting Bed-
minster, on successive days, won a Sweepstakes

MY START AS A TRAINER 69

and the Prendergast Stakes. In the latter event
he beat the Duke of Beaufort’s Siberia (already a
winner of three races), and Gladiateur (giving
6 |b.), who, earlier in the week, had made a
successful debut in the Clearwell Stakes. We
now believed that Bedminster had a fairly good
chance of gaining classic honours ; and that
belief was considerably strengthened the follow-
ing spring, for on April 27 we tried him thus :

One Mile
Bedminster, 3 yrs., 8 st. 13 lb. . ‘ Wells 1
Merry Wife, 4 yrs., 7 st. . : . Morgan 2
Argonaut, 6 yrs., ro st. 6 1b. . Payter 3

Won by two lengths; the same distance between
second and third.

Both Sir Joseph Hawley and Lord Annesley
witnessed the gallop, and we were all perfectly
satisfied. Bedminster appeared to us in the
light of a “ good thing” for the Two Thousand
Guineas, run on May 2. He started favourite
for that race at 7 to 2, his most-fancied opponents

being Mr. Chaplin’s Breadalbane and Mr.

Merry’s Liddington, equal second favourites
at 4 to 1; the Marquis of Hastings’ Kangaroo
(just purchased from Mr. Padwick) and Count
de Lagrange’s Gladiateur. I should explain,
with regard to our trial, that Argonaut had two
days previously won the City and Suburban,
carrying no less than 8 st. 11 lb.; and that the
day before the Guineas he strengthened our

70 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

faith in Bedminster by winning the Prince of
Wales’s Handicap over the Rowley Mile with
9 st. in the saddle and twenty-four opponents
behind him. It certainly looked as though
Bedminster was a sound betting proposition.
He, however, proved to be nothing of the sort,
for he ran “ nowhere.” One critic suggested
that when our trial took place we ought to have
put Wells on Argonaut instead of Bedminster.
It is, of course, conceivable that had we done so
we should have had less cause for being so
extremely sanguine.

Our faith in Bedminster did not entirely
evaporate however ; we hoped he would make
amends in the Derby, which was to be his next
race. For this we decided that he should be
tried again, and one glorious morning Sir Joseph
and Lord Annesley arrived at Cannon Heath to
see the colt tested. As we went on to the Downs
Lord Annesley waxed enthusiastic about the
invigorating air and the beauty of the scenery.
We were all, indeed, in high spirits. Then, by
way of an anti-climax, we endured the mortifica-
tion of seeing Bedminster break down during the
trial. As we returned to the stables Sir Joseph,
with a mischievous look in his eyes, turned to
his partner and said, ‘‘ Well, Annesley, and what
do you think of the scenery now? ”’

I patched Bedminster up as well as I could,
and it was decided he should take his chance at

MY START AS A TRAINER 71
Epsom. On Derby Day Sir Joseph and his

brother, on their way to the course, called at
Tadworth Cottage, where I was staying. They
had their lunch with them in a basket and ate it
in the stable, sitting the while on a truss of hay.

“ And how’s the horse ? ” inquired Sir Joseph,
glancing towards Bedminster. The colt was
standing with his legs in a bucket of iced water.
That was a sufficient answer.

“Where is Wells?” was the next question.
“ He’s in bed with hot towels on his stomach.”
“Is that so!” exclaimed Sir Joseph. “ Then
all I can say is that my chance of winning the
Derby never looked brighter! My horse has
his legs in a pail, and my jockey is doctoring his
stomach.”

It only remains to be said that odds of 50 to
1 were laid against Bedminster’s winning the
Derby, and that he broke down irretrievably in
the race. So long as he remained sound he was
a real good horse, though his constitution was
a delicate one—a characteristic of many of the
Newminsters.

This was the Derby won by that remarkable
French-bred horse Gladiateur, whom so many
alleged, without a shadow of proof, to be a four-
year-old. He and Mr. Chaplin’s Breadalbane
were the first and second favourites. The failure
of Breadalbane resulted in Mr. Chaplin removing
his horses from the care of William I’Anson at

72, JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Malton and placing them with William Goater.
But they only remained at Findon a few months,
for, when Captain Machell was appointed
manager of Mr. Chaplin’s racing stud, the
horses went to Newmarket to be trained by
Blanton. If Hermit was at Findon, as “ tradi-
tion ”’ says, it would be when a yearling only.
One of my recollections of that year concerns
Tom Dawson, who was training at Middleham.
The day General Peel won the Two Thousand
Guineas he invited me to dine with him. He
was staying with my old school-fellow, Ashmall,
just behind Heath House. That evening Daw-
son had a little bother with Lord Glasgow, the
owner of General Peel. His lordship turned up
late to see his horses in their stables, and old
Tom had objected to showing him round.
Bearing in mind Lord Glasgow’s irascible tem-
per, one can imagine the scene was a breezy one,
and Tom had not quite got over it when I
arrived. After dinner we had a game of whist.
Before we had been playing very long the
temperature of the room became uncomfortably
warm, so Dawson discarded his coat and went
on playing in his shirt sleeves. Presently he
also took off his waistcoat, and his next move
was to roll up his shirt sleeves. That led to
his boasting about the wealth of muscle in his
arms, and he asked me to feel it. I began to
suspect there was danger ahead, so, excusing

MY START AS A TRAINER 73

myself, I bade the company “ good night” and
departed. The following morning I learnt, not
to my surprise, that, after I had gone, Dawson
and Ashmall indulged in a scrap. I must say,
however, that Tom Dawson was a thoroughly
kind-hearted man, though apt to be a little
troublesome “ in his cups.”

Coming again to the year 1865, there was
Argonaut’s victory in the City and Suburban
at Epsom, to which a reference has already been
made. This was the first important race Sir
Joseph won after I became his trainer, so I
naturally look back upon it with special pleasure.
Now six years old, Argonaut had begun to race
when three. Though he had a few prizes to
his credit when I saddled him for the City and
Suburban, his record was nothing to brag about.
As a five-year-old he was out ten times without
once getting his head in front. When, there-
fore, he went to the post at Epsom we had no
confidence in him. That his owner allowed him
to “‘ run loose,” or practically so, may be gauged
from the fact that he was a 25 to 1 chance.
However, he managed, with Wells in the saddle,
to beat the Marquis of Hastings’ well-backed
candidate, The Grinder, by a head. It may be,
as some urged at the time, that Wells “stole”
the race ; anyway, Grimshaw, who rode The
Grinder, was roundly blamed for failing to carry
out his orders and “ come along all the way.”

74 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

There is nothing more to be said about our
horses so far as that season is concerned. Un-
fortunately when the autumn came round they
passed out of my control for the time being.
While attending the Doncaster meeting in Sep-
tember, I was laid low by a severe attack of
typhoid fever. At Doncaster I had to remain
for many weeks, tenderly nursed by my wife, and
aided towards a complete recovery by the skill
of my doctor, a cheery soul named Schofield.
For several days I was very ill indeed. Before
he left Doncaster Sir Joseph Hawley came to
see me. I was apparently asleep ; in reality I
was conscious of all that was going on around me,
but unable to move or speak. I heard Sir Joseph
mutter to himself, “I wonder if he has any
money with him?” Then I saw him take his
note-case out of his pocket, and lay the contents
on the bed. Realising that he would require
some money to get home with he picked up one
of the notes, and then slipped quietly out of the
room. It was a generous, thoughtful action,
done by stealth.

When my illness began, my wife was at home.
Sir Joseph wrote assuring her that, in the doctor’s
opinion, I was in no danger, that there was no
occasion for anxiety, and that I was in comfort-
able lodgings and being looked after by a particu-
larly nice and attentive woman. He added that
I was in the hands of a very clever doctor, and

MY START AS A TRAINER 75

that she was not to fret about me. When Wells
reached Cannon Heath he would explain the
arrangements that had been made about the
horses.

In answer to a letter my wife must have sent
him a day or two after she reached Doncaster,
Sir Joseph wrote :

I am very sorry to hear that your husband still con-
tinues so ill, but the doctor always told me it must be
tedious. I had a letter from the doctor to-day in which
he gives me a favourable account. I hope Porter will
not worry about the horses, as they will do well. ‘The

_ only ones that are of the slightest consequence, as you

know, are sent to Dover, so I have no fear but all will
go on well. Write to me constantly, and let me know
how your husband is going on.

My wife obeyed these instructions, and before
long was able to report a decided improvement
in my condition. She received, in reply, the
following:

I am truly delighted to hear that your husband’s illness
has at last taken a favourable turn. . . . I strongly
recommend you, as soon as he is well enough, to move
him to the seaside for a few days, as he could gain more
in strength there in that time than he would in a month
at home. . . . I told you in my first letter that he had
a most attentive, kind nurse, and I am glad to hear your
corroboration. Write soon.

When I was able to write to Sir Joseph myself
I did so. He replied :

76 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

I am delighted to see your handwriting again, as
that proves to me how much better you are. I am going
to Dover’s to-morrow, and to Cannon Heath on Friday.
I saw from the first your illness must be tedious, and that
made me send some of the horses to Dover, as I thought
it would be too much of a charge for Harry. . . . I shall
write again on Saturday. Do not fret about the horses;
and I shall do nothing to the back-yard till you return.
Now, take my advice—the moment you can move from
Doncaster, go to the seaside somewhere. You will
regain your strength there ten times as quickly as you
would at Cannon Heath. Ask the doctor if I am not
right. Write to me if you want money, and tell me
where you are going.

My purpose in reproducing these letters is
to emphasise all I have written about Sir Joseph
Hawley’s good-heartedness. They are charac-
teristic of the man, revealing as they do the traits
which appealed so strongly to those who had the
privilege of being in his service.

Before my illness began Sir Joseph had decided
to build stables at Kingsclere, a mile or two from
those we were occupying at Cannon Heath.
The land had already been bought when I broke
down, but the plans had still to be prepared.
It was desirable that no time should be lost. I
was very anxious the architect should embody
in his designs the ideas I had formed regarding
the requirements of a racing stable; so when I

was convalescent I obtained a drawing-board,

T-square, pencil and paper, and set to work to

MY START AS A TRAINER 77

prepare some plans. My doctor became greatly
interested in the scheme, and every time he paid
me a visit wanted to know how it was progressing.
_ There was only one thing that bothered me, and
that was the drainage system connected with the
pig-sties ! This worried me so much that at
last the doctor ordered me to leave the sties out
until I returned home. I may say here that the
Kingsclere stables were eventually built pretty
much in accordance with my plans, and the
pig-sty difficulty was triumphantly surmounted.
They constituted a striking contrast with the
buildings at Cannon Heath, where the stables
were merely converted barns, the place having
formerly been a farmhouse, with the usual ap-
purtenances. Nevertheless, the Derby winners
Musjid and Beadsman were quartered there.
Fine stables do not make fine horses.

Adopting the advice of Sir Joseph Hawley,
I went to the seaside when at last I was well enough
to leave Doncaster, and it was Christmas when
I got back to Cannon Heath, to find it denuded
of horses. Jim Dover still had them at IIsley,
and they remained with him until I felt thoroughly
fit. Altogether, I was “ out of harness” about
six months.

Among the two-year-olds that came to me
from Dover’s in January 1866 were the Salamanca
filly (by Beadsman, and afterwards named Ara-
peile), The Palmer (a bay colt by Beadsman out

78 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of Madame Eglentine), and Red Shoes, a bay colt
by a Derby winner out of an Oaks winner, for _
his parents were Beadsman and Miami. These
were contributors to our season’s modest total of
£1425. The Salamanca filly, as she was known
that year, brought in £1oso by winning the
Bretby Stakes at Newmarket in the autumn.
That was a narrow squeak, for it was by a head
only she beat Mr. Savile’s Ravioli. It was,
moreover, the only success that stands to her
credit in the Calendar. She would have won
two other races, one as a two-year-old, and the
other the following season, but for having the
misfortune to be opposed by the brilliant mare
Achievement, to whom she ran second in the
New Stakes and the Coronation Stakes at Ascot.
After the latter race Arapeile went to the stud.
She was the first produce of Salamanca, whose
third foal was Pero Gomez (brother to Arapeile),
about whom I shall have a good deal to say in due
course. Arapeile’s first two foals were Alava
(by Asteroid) and Ragusa (by FitzRoland), both
of whom I trained to win races. Another of her
produce was Concha, brother to Alava, who
became the sire of Cinnamon, dam of the Grand
National winner Covertcoat. In 1874 Arapeile
went to Australia, but her record there was not,
I believe, an impressive one.

The Palmer was a decidedly useful and a very
honest horse—a better one than his record makes

MY START AS A TRAINER 79

him appear. He was powerfully built on long
and low lines, standing 15.3. A fine-tempered
horse, he was very sound and had a hardy con-
stitution. As a racehorse he improved steadily
as he grew older. He won the first time out as
a two-year-old, but ran unplaced in each of his
three other races that season. That we had
reason to believe him a good colt may be inferred
from the fact that Sir Joseph Hawley had a big
bet with Mr. Chaplin that The Palmer would
beat Hermit in the Derby, one to win. Eventu-
ally Sir Joseph hedged a portion of his bet, but
he had, of course, to pay the balance.1. And yet
how good the wager looked before the race, for,
at 7 to 1, The Palmer was second favourite to
Vauban, whereas Hermit was quoted at 66 to I.

I dare say The Palmer could not have beaten

Hermit under any circumstances, but our horse
ought not to have finished so far behind the winner
as he did. It was not altogether his fault, for
he got badly knocked about during the race.

I have always looked upon Hermit as a good
Derby winner, but he might have failed had not
Captain Machell been compelled to give him an
easy time for ten days or so owing to the breaking
of the blood-vessel. Hermit was a delicate
horse, and did not require much work. This
was the case with most of Newminster’s sons and

1 It is alleged that the bet was one of £50,000, and that Sir Joseph
Hawley had to find £30,000.

80 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

daughters. It used to be the fashion in those
days, and not without reason, to impose New-
minster blood on that of Stockwell, or vice versa.
The Birdcatchers often had curby hocks; descend-
ants of Touchstone very seldom hada curb. On
the other hand, many of the Touchstones had
straight shoulders and not the best of forelegs,
defects which the Birdcatchers rarely displayed.
The offspring of Stockwell were much hardier
than those of Newminster. As a rule, a mare by
Stockwell was a far better mother than a mare
by Newminster. The former always had a great
supply of milk. This is a characteristic which
Bend Or, a grandson of Stockwell, transmitted
to his daughters, and a very valuable one it is.

If we turn to the report of the Newmarket
Houghton Meeting of 1868 in the Racing Calen-
dar, it is to find that “Sir J. Hawley’s The
Palmer, 8 st. 13 lb., received forfeit from. Mr.
Chaplin’s Hermit, 8 st. 10 lb., both four years
old, Across the Flat (1}.m.). £500, half forfeit.”
It would be interesting to know the inner history
of that Match. Perhaps the Derby bet between
the two owners came up for discussion some time
or other, and Sir Joseph, desiring to emphasise
his opinion that Hermit was lucky to win, auda-
ciously backed The Palmer to give Mr. Chaplin’s
horse 3 lb. Though Hermit paid forfeit, it can-
not have been because he was not fit, for the follow-
ing day he was well backed to win the Houghton

MY START AS A TRAINER 81

Handicap. He was, however, beaten in this,.as
in all the other races in which he ran that season.
These two horses were also “ matched” in the
spring. Then, however, Hermit was to have
given The Palmer 13 |b., but his owner was
content to pay the £250 forfeit.

Matches were very much the vogue in those
days, especially at Newmarket. Sir George
Chetwynd, in his Racing Reminiscences, gives us a
description of the way in which they were gener-
ally arranged. When the cloth had been removed
after dinner at the Jockey Club Rooms, and the
snuff-box, made out of Eclipse’s foot, had gone
round, those present willing to make Matches
wrote on slips of paper the names of the horses
they wished to run. Admiral Rous would
examine the slips, consult the owners of two of
the horses, refer to his well-thumbed handicap
book, and then, addressing the owners, say:
“Gentlemen, put your hands in your pockets.
You shall run the last five furlongs of the Abing-
don Mile for 100 sovs., 50 forfeit. The Blank
colt shall carry 8 st. 10 lb. and the other 8 st.
2 lb.” The owners then withdrew their hands
from their pockets. If it was found that both
held money the Match was made, and the half-
crowns went to the Admiral; if only one held
money, the non-content paid him; if neither
held money, there was no Match and no exchange
of coin.

G

82 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

These Matches kept trainers on tenterhooks.
They were frequently made without the trainer
being consulted. Horses visiting Newmarket
could at that period remain there for several
weeks without becoming liable for the Heath
Tax. At the beginning of the series of spring
and autumn meetings I used to take with me to
Newmarket all the horses in our stable in a con-
dition to race, whether they were or were not
engaged. While a meeting was in progress, Sir
Joseph would, during the evening, send for me
and say: “I have just made a Match to run so-
and-so against Thingumy. Have my _ horse
ready to run to-morrow.” ‘The plan of having
the horses on the spot led, indeed, to a lot of good
sport we should not otherwise have seen. Both
in the spring and autumn I used to be at New-
market five weeks without going home. The
change from this procedure, which followed the
revision, in 1872, of the regulations with regard
to the payment of the Heath Tax by visiting
horses, was in some measure responsible for the
disappearance of Matches from the Newmarket
programme. |

Before making this digression we were dis-
cussing The Palmer. As a three-year-old he
won three of his eight races—the Ascot Derby
and the Royal Stakes and Free Handicap at
Newmarket. In the last-named event he had,
however, to divide honours with the Duke of

MY START AS A TRAINER 83

Newcastle’s Julius, who, a fortnight previously,
gained fame by carrying 8 st. to victory in the
Cesarewitch, a remarkably fine achievement for
a three-year-old. In the Free Handicap Julius
was giving The Palmer 6 lb. The following
year, in the autumn, The Palmer won a couple
of Plates at Newmarket, and then, at Liverpool,
carried off the Autumn Cup—a big betting race.
Captain Machell had hoped to win the prize
with Knight of the Garter, but The Palmer beat
him half a length. This victory greatly pleased
Sir Joseph Hawley, because, in a way, it avenged
his loss over Hermit in the previous year’s Derby.

_As a five-year-old The Palmer’s only race was for
the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood. He was
‘unplaced, the winner being Sir Charles Legard’s
Vespasian, who, with 10 st. 4 lb. in the saddle
(the bottom weight being 5 st. 7 lb.), gave a fine
‘performance. After this The Palmer retired
from the Turf, and began his stud life at Mr.
_ Cookson’s place, Neasham Hall, near Darlington,
| where also The Earl was located. The Earl
was anything but a fertile stallion, and this failing
is often revealed in pedigrees, horses or mares
_ by “The Earl or The Palmer” being frequently
- met with. One such was Lord Lonsdale’s filly,
_ Pilgrimage, winner of the Two Thousand and
_ One Thousand Guineasin 1878. The Palmer was
also the sire of Jenny Howlet, who won the Oaks
for Mr. Perkinsin 1880. It can, therefore, be said

84. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of the son of Beadsman that he gained greater —
renown after he left the Turf than he did on it.

Madame Eglentine, the dam of The Palmer, —
was a mare with a very peculiar temperament, —
which, fortunately, she did not transmit to her
“children.” When in training she was always |
extremely obstinate at the start of a race, and at ©
the stud invariably foaled under a tree in one of —
the paddocks at Leybourne. Had she been —
confined to a box on these occasions she most —
certainly would have killed her foal. |

We now come to Red Shoes, the colt by ~
Beadsman out of Miami. The part he plays in
our story is that of a species of “super.” Asa
racehorse he was a nonentity, and we are concerned —
with him only as a juvenile in 1866. After five ©
abortive efforts, he did manage to win a £50 |
Plate at Newmarket. The following day he 7
failed in a similar race, and two days after that |
ran second in a Sweepstakes, “‘the winner to be ©
sold for 100 sovs. if demanded.” The winner
was Mr. Chaplin’s chestnut colt Satyr, by Mar-
syas. After the race Sir Joseph Hawley “ de-
manded ” Satyr, much to the annoyance of Mr.
Chaplin and his friends, one of whom was Lord 7
Westmoreland, whose Rose Leaf had finished 7
third. The Satyr party had, I was afterwards —
told, won £7000 over their colt, on whom odds
of 5 to 2 were finally laid. Naturally, they did 7
not want to lose a horse who had done them so

MY START AS A TRAINER 85

good a turn, and who might do them another
in the future. But Sir Joseph was deaf to all
entreaties. To “get even’ with him, Lord
Westmoreland claimed Red Shoes for Mr. Chap-
lin. He could not have done us a greater kind-
ness; we were delighted to be relieved of the colt.
Speaking generally, if ever we ran a horse in a
selling race, it was because we wanted to get rid
of it. Two days later, carrying Mr. Chaplin’s
colours, Red Shoes ran third in a “ Seller,’’ but
he never saw a racecourse afterwards.

And what of Satyr? His story is a somewhat
remarkable one. We could only run him twice
as a three-year-old: at Northampton, in the
spring, he ran third in the Earl Spencer Plate,
and at Ascot won a small handicap. He was
then put on one side with a view to the Cam-
bridgeshire. All through the summer he seemed
to improve, and as he was well handicapped, we
were extremely hopeful of seeing him win. But
our expectations were suddenly turned to lamen-
tations. While Satyr was being tried he fell
_ when about half-way through the gallop. Quickly
regaining his feet, he dashed off over the Downs,
crossing roads, sheep-tracks, and all sorts of rough
ground. When at last we caught him, we found,
to our dismay, that he had sprung both suspensory
ligaments. So lame was he that it took us a long
time to get him home, and of course there was no
more racing for him that year.

86 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

I told Sir Joseph that if we treated Satyr with
care, and had him lightly fired, we might be able
to win the Royal Hunt Cup with him the following _
year, for, as I pointed out, he would, at Ascot, be ~
running uphill, and on a course over which he had
already won. I was told to do what I thought

best, and, much to our satisfaction, the horse got : i

over his troubles nicely. As soon as there was |
betting on the Royal Hunt Cup, Sir Joseph backed 7

Satyr to win him £18,000, but as he wanted to ©
know the full strength of the position, we arranged ~
for a trial about a week before Ascot. In that ~

gallop the ligaments “ went” again. The situa-_
tion looked hopeless, and we regarded it in that —
light. |
I had several horses running at Ascot that year, ~

including some two-year-olds, and wanted an

older horse to walk on to the course with them —
when they went to do their morning’s work. |
Sir Joseph told me to use Satyr for that purpose.
“Tf,” he said, “ they see him on the course, I
may be able to hedge some of my bets.” So to
Ascot Satyr went, and the first morning Jem ©
Adams rode him a gentle canter. For a week ©

he had never been out of a walk—he was sound © ~
enough for that exercise—and while in his box
had spent most of his time soaking his legs in a
pail, 2 /2 Bedminster. After the canter Adams
rode the horse up to where I was standing, and,
with an aggrieved tone in his voice, said: “ This

MY START AS A TRAINER 87

is a nice sort of horse to put me on. He will
break my neck. I thought every moment he

was going to fall down.”

Presently, up came Sir Joseph to see his
two-year-olds at work. I told him we had just
given Satyracanter. ‘‘ Do you think,” he asked,
“it will do him any harm if he runs for the Hunt
Cup to-morrow?” I replied that it was practi-
cally a certainty he would break down, but as he
was virtually a broken-down horse already, we
might as well let him take his chance. ‘“ No
doubt,’ I added, “the race will bring his racing
career to an end, for it will be idle to attempt to
patch him up again.” ‘‘ Then we will start him,”
said Sir Joseph. Start him we did, and to our
utter astonishment, he won pretty easily. Sir
Joseph had not been able to lay off any of his bets,
and so won £18,000.

In view of the facts I have here set down,
it is rather amusing to read in a contemporary
publication that “the Royal Hunt Cup was a
triumph of the British public over the judgment
of Sir Joseph Hawley, Sir Frederick Johnstone,
and Mr. Gerard Sturt—a nice ‘job lot’ to
take against the field—for the former body
would stick to Satyr against Eastley, who was
tried to be nearly, if not quite, a stone better
than Freemason (a winner at Chester that year),
and who, if ridden by Butler with a whip, would
doubtless have landed the good thing cleverly.”

88 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Eastley was a three-year-old colt by Trumpeter,
owned by Sir Frederick Johnstone and Mr.
Sturt (afterwards Lord Alington), trained by
Harry Goater at Winchester, and, at § to 4,
one of the hottest favourites ever known for the
Royal Hunt Cup. That he must have been
tried very highly goes without the saying ; but
he never won a race. It may be that Sir Joseph
Hawley endeavoured to “save’’ some of the
money he had laid out on Satyr (who started a
third favourite at 10 to 1) by backing Eastley,
but if so he did not tell me about it. Anyhow,
by beating the presumed certainty, we put the
cat among the pigeons properly! We ran
Satyr thrice more that season—twice at Good-
wood, where he was beaten a neck only for the
Chichester Stakes. Then, deciding that it was
not worth our while to persevere with him, we
gave him to Mannington, the Brighton “ vet,”
who, after much patience, managed to win a race
or two with him in 1871. The horse afterwards
became the property of a Mr. Snap, and in a
£100 Plate, at Ascot, defeated Sir Joseph’s
candidate, Green Riband, who finished second !

A GREAT REVIVAL

_ In the course of the racing season of 1867 the
| Cannon Heath stable once more became the
_ abode of horses capable of holding their own

| with the best in the land. The series of lean

| years had terminated ; the “ cherry, black cap ”
| were again prominent on the Turf. Blue Gown,

| Rosicrucian, and Green Sleeve had “arrived ”
_| and were to make stirring history before they

| disappeared from the public’s ken. For two
| seasons these three treasures, all bred by Sir

| Joseph Hawley, and all by Beadsman, were

_very closely associated. Two of them often

ran in the same race, while on one memorable
-_ occasion the three came together under the

starter’s orders.

Blue Gown was the first to run. He was
out of Bas Bleu, a mare by Stockwell from
_ Vexation, daughter of Touchstone. Bas Bleu
herself received forfeit in a couple of Matches,
but did not otherwise contribute to her keep,
for she was beaten in all the six races she ran.

In those days a spring meeting was held at
89

90 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Ascot, and there, in May, Blue Gown made his
first appearance in public. It was a successful —
outing, for he won the Sunning Hill Stakes —
over half a mile. Among the horses he defeated

was Mr. S. Thellusson’s colt Lictor, already a 7

winner, and presently to become an inmate of ©
the Kingsclere Stable. The fact that on this ©

occasion Blue Gown started an odds-on favourite ~

shows that we were not unaware of his merits. —
His next race was at Bath. There he was again —
favourite, but beaten by the Marquis of ©
Hastings’ filly, Lady Elizabeth (about whom —
so much was to be heard in the course of the —
next few months) and by Mr. Pryor’s Grimston, —
So far as Grimston was concerned, the form was ©
not correct; when they met again, at Ascot 7
in June, in the Fernhill Stakes, Blue Gown got | :
the better of him. :

That same Ascot week Rosicrucian was 77
“produced” to good purpose, for he won a-
Maiden Plate from twenty-one opponents, start-—
ing an equal favourite with Sir Frederick
Johnstone’s Banditto. Rosicrucian’s dam was
Madame Eglentine, so he was brother to The

Palmer. Madame Eglentine was a mare by
Cowl, out of Diversion, by Defence, and was

bred by Sir Joseph Hawley. Her racing career |

began and ended during her two-year-old days.
She won six of the eleven events in which she

ran, the value of the stakes to her credit at : ;

A GREAT REVIVAL 91

the end of the season being £1610. It is
quite likely she would have done even more
than this but for her wayward temperament.
Her wilfulness was generally displayed in its
most aggravated form at the starting-post. On
one occasion, when an attendant took hold of
the bridle, she threw herself on the ground in
a fit of rage. I often saw her at the Leybourne
Grange Stud when there to inspect the yearlings.
Sir Joseph had some Russian sheep, and one
day I saw two of them standing on Madame
Fglentine’s hocks nibbling at her tail! There
was evidently a sharply defined line between
her likes and dislikes. The Palmer was her
third foal and Rosicrucian her fourth. After
his success at Ascot, Rosicrucian ran no more
until the autumn, nor was it till then that Green
Sleeve made a somewhat sensational debut.
In the meantime the name of Blue Gown, and
that of John Wells also, had come prominently
before the public.

It was at Doncaster that Blue Gown ran his
next race. Since Ascot he had steadily im-
proved, and we expected he would take a lot of
beating for the Champagne Stakes, then, as
in later days, one of the most important two-
year-old events of the season. ‘The race was
run on the Tuesday, and we arrived at Don-
caster the previous day. Wells was now, for
a jockey, physically a big man, “ walking ”’

92 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

about 10 st. in the winter months. During
the racing season he therefore found it necessary
to do a little “ wasting” each day in order to
keep his weight within reasonable limits. On
the Monday afternoon he walked about four
miles out of Doncaster, to a village where some
friends of his lived. Instead of returning at
once to Doncaster, as he had intended to do,
he was persuaded to stay the night, and sat up
into the small hours of the morning playing cards.
He walked back next day, reaching the course
just in time to weigh out, at 9 st. 6 lb., for a
horse named. Xi, whom I saddled for the first
race. His mount ran “nowhere.” Wells
finished without his irons, and I wondered what
was the matter. I was not, however, able to
make inquiries, because at that very moment a
terrific thunderstorm burst over the course. I
had given orders which would have resulted
in Blue Gown being brought from his stable
in the town to the paddock within the next few
minutes, and, wishing him to miss the heavy
rain, I borrowed a hack and hurried away to
stop the colt until the storm was over. It did
not last long, but when I returned to the course
with Blue Gown I learned that Wells had already
weighed out. He had to “do” 8 st. 10 Ib.,
and I asked Mr. Manning, the Clerk of the

Scales, if everything was in order. He assured

me it was. I had no reason to doubt it. Wells

A GREAT REVIVAL 93

had been riding for me for some years, and I felt
I could trust him implicitly.

The race was duly run, and Blue Gown won,
beating the filly Virtue half a length. So far so
good; we were all very pleased. But our
joy was short-lived. ‘“‘At the weighing-in,”’
reports the Calendar, ‘‘ Wells was more than
2 lb. overweight; and Blue Gown was dis-
qualified.” This catastrophe was caused by
wilful stupidity on the part of our jockey. It
was the climax to a private quarrel between
Wells and the jockey John Doyle. The latter
had been nursing a grievance more than twelve
months. At the Ascot Spring Meeting, the
previous year, Doyle won the Sunning Hill
Stakes on Mr. Savile’s D’Estournel. Baron
Rothschild’s Hippia, ridden by Morris, finished
second, beaten a head, and Sir Joseph Hawley’s
Fakir, Wells up, was third. Morris objected
to D’Estournel for bumping, and Wells was
called before the Stewards as a witness. Doyle,
rightly or wrongly, gained the impression that
Wells’s evidence induced the Stewards to dis-
qualify D’Estournel. Anyway, Doyle, though
specifically exonerated from blame, was furious
with Wells, and, having roundly abused him,
brought the scene to an end by declaring he would
“get even” some day.

Doyle saw Wells weigh out for Blue Gown
at Doncaster, and noticed that he touched the

94 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

ground with the tip of his toe to prevent the
weights rising, and then jumped quickly off the
scale. This was a trick commonly practised by
jockeys who were overweight, and, as Clerks of
the Scale were not so particular in those days
as they are now, it generally served its purpose.
Doyle’s chance of “getting even” had now
arrived. After the race he followed Wells into
the weighing room, and saw him drop a small
cloth on the floor. Waiting until Wells had
got into the scale, Doyle approached with the
missing cloth in his hand, and said: “ Here!
You weighed out with this, so you must weigh
in with it.’ When he had received the cloth
Wells was unmistakably overweight, and was
still so when the 2 lb. allowed was put in
against him.

I at once sent for Sir Joseph Hawley. When
he arrived the weighing process was gone through
again, with the same result. Admiral Rous
was now summoned. He ordered the 2 lb.
to be once more placed in the scale, and saw
Wells easily pull the extra weight. One of the
bystanders suggested that another 2 Ib. should
be put on, but the Admiral forbade this being
done. “No, certainly not,” he said; “it
would not be fair to Sir Joseph Hawley to show
what weight the horse really carried.” Then
the Admiral, who was furious, cuffed Wells on
the back of the head, and shouted at him: “ Get

Se ag SI a Sse ey ne Te ee cia

|
|

/

A GREAT REVIVAL 95

out! I’m ashamed of you.” I have always
been certain in my own mind that if 6 lb. more
than the proper weight had been placed in the
scales Wells would still have pulled it. He
made a great mistake when he spent the previous
night in convivial fashion, and a much greater
one when he tried to cover up his foolishness
by a piece of sharp practice.

When we got outside the weighing room,
I said to Wells: ‘‘ This is a very sad business.
You had better see Sir Joseph at once and have
it out with him.’ Adopting my suggestion,
Wells sought an interview. Sir Joseph, who
had lost £4000 by the disqualification of Blue
Gown, refused, however, to talk to him then.
He ordered the crestfallen jockey to call upon
him the following morning, at the same time
telling him his services would not be required
again that week. After Wells had seen Sir
Joseph the next day, he said to me: “I got more
weight off during the twenty minutes I was in
that room than I did in the course of any walk
I ever took.”’ And I can quite believeit. Wells
did not wear Sir Joseph’s colours again until
October, when, at Newmarket, he rode Xi to

beat The Earl in a Match—a performance in

which he excelled himself. He was now for-
given his senseless behaviour at Doncaster, and
his relations with Sir Joseph were ever after-
wards all that those between a servant and his

96 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

master should be. Wells never forgot the
lesson he received, and so richly deserved. )

This, however, was not the first time he had
been in trouble. In 1863, my first year at
Cannon Heath, he jumped to the conclusion

that Sir Joseph would not have a runner in the

St. Leger, and, without consulting me or any —
one else, undertook to ride Lord Falmouth’s —
Queen Bertha. Presently this arrangement was —
announced in the newspapers. We had Woldga
entered in the St. Leger, and I received a tele- —
gram from Sir Joseph instructing me to take
the horse to Doncaster with the others we were —
running at the meeting. The message mystified
me, because I knew Sir Joseph did not intend ©
running Woldga in the St. Leger, and he was
not in any other race at Doncaster. A letter
which followed the telegram explained matters. —
After I reached Doncaster, Wells called to —
see the horses I had brought for him to ride. —
When he found Woldga there he asked, “‘ What’s —
he in?” “The Leger,” I. replied.“ Butj7@
said Wells, thoroughly alarmed, “he’s ‘not —
going to run, is he?’”’ ‘‘ What do you suppose ~
he’s come for?” was my rejoinder. ‘‘ Good —
gracious!” exclaimed the jockey. “‘ What am I —
todo? Ihave promised to ride Queen Bertha.” —
“In that case,” said I, ‘‘ you had better g and —
hear what Sir Joseph has to say.”
Away Wells went, in a very disturbed state

A GREAT REVIVAL 97

of mind. I afterwards learned that Sir Joseph
asked him what he supposed he received a
retainer for. Did he not think it was his duty
to ask his employer, or his employer’s trainer,
what horses the stable was running before entering
into engagements to ride other people’s horses
At that interview Wells got no release ; indeed,
he was kept in a state of suspense until the
morning of St. Leger day. Then he was told
that Woldga would not run and that he might
ride Queen Bertha. “‘ It will,” said Sir Joseph
to me, “teach him not to take these liberties.”
Wells profited by this uncomfortable experience ;
never again did he engage himself to ride horses
belonging to other owners without first obtaining
leave. As a master, Sir Joseph was kindness
itself, but he would stand no nonsense.

Wells was a most capable jockey, and as
“straight as a die.” The Blue Gown incident
at Doncaster is, so far as I know, the only black
mark against his name. There was not sufficient
money in the Bank of England to bribe him to
ride a crooked race. In the matter of dress, he
was most eccentric. Custance has something
to say about this in his Reco//ections.

You would one day see him in a tall hat very much
turned up at the sides, and next day he would be wearing
a cream-coloured one, with a deep black band. On one
occasion, when he was riding Pero Gomez at exercise
on the course at Doncaster on the Tuesday morning,

H

98 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

before Sir Joseph Hawley’s horse won the St. Leger, Wells
appeared in an Alpine hat with several feathers, a suit of
clothes made from a Gordon plaid, and a pair of red
morocco slippers! When he arrived on the course, about
seven o’clock in the morning, every one roared with
laughter. Wells, however, didn’t mind a bit.

I think Custance is wrong in stating that
Wells appeared in this extraordinary garb at
Doncaster. He was so dressed, looking like a
harlequin, one day at Newmarket, when he “ rode”
a walk-over for Sir Joseph. Some one suggested
that Wells was offending the proprieties. ‘“‘ Oh,”
replied Sir Joseph, ‘‘ I don’t care how he dresses;
he’s a good enough jockey for me.”

One Sunday afternoon at Newmarket Mr.
George Payne and Admiral Rous came round
to have a look at our horses. Wells was there,
tremendously dressed. Mr. Payne, after eyeing
him up and down, said, “ You do look a swell.”
Whereupon came the rejoinder from the jockey, —
delivered in quite a superior tone: “ My tailor —
makes my clothes for nothing. It is not often
he comes across a figure like mine to fit them on.
I am a walking advertisement for him.”

Wells had grown very tall. He lived freely —
when not required to keep his weight down, —
and the two things together caused him to have ~
to waste hard during the racing season. This,
no doubt, shortened his life. He died July 17,
1873. Custance writes : !

A GREAT REVIVAL 99

I think Wells was the tallest and biggest man I ever
saw ride 8 st. 7 lb. He was an extraordinarily good
pedestrian, and would bet that he walked eleven miles
in two hours with four suits of sweaters on. . . . Wells
was a very strong man on a horse, and used to lap his
long legs round them at the finish. He always sat well
back in his saddle, kept fast hold of the horse’s head, and
was a very resolute finisher. ‘Take him altogether, he
was a good jockey.

This description is correct. In 1859, Wells,
his brother-in-law Ashmall (they married
daughters of Tom Taylor, of Bretby), and John
Osborne, were involved in a frightful spill at
Chester, and were in hospital for some time. It
was the general opinion that after that accident
Wells was not quite the intrepid rider he had
been. Nevertheless, it was admitted that he
rode a marvellous finish on Musjid in the Derby
that same year. As one authority declared,
“not one jockey out of fifty who cared a straw
for his life, would have dashed through the mob
of horses that shut him in as he did.” Known
in the early years of his professional life as
“ Tiny ” Wells, because of his diminutive stature,
he was in later life nicknamed “ Brusher.”
More careful with the money he earned than
jockeys generally are, he invested some of his
savings in a steel pen factory at Birmingham, and
he also made liberal provision for his parents.

THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE

Tue horse Xi, to whom reference was made in
the previous chapter, was an individual of con-
siderable consequence. His value will not be
ascertained by examining the record of his per-
formances on the race track. He won several
races, but it was the service he rendered as a
“‘ schoolmaster,” and trial horse, that caused
me to regard him with special affection. He
was anything but fashionably bred, for his sire
was General Williams (a son of Womersley)
and his dam a mare named Lambda, by Umbriel,
son of Touchstone. Foaled in 1863, he was —
bought as a yearling by John Osborne senior, —
and at north-country meetings won six of the ©
seven races he ran as a two-year-old. John |
Osborne died that year, and in September his —
horses were sold by auction. Xi was the only ~
lot that ran into four figures. Sir Joseph Hawley —

gave 2100 guineas for him, and allowed Sir ©
Frederick Johnstoné to have a half-share. Speed
was his forte, six furlongs being his best distance.

As a three-year-old (1866) he ran second for the |

roo

THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE 1o1

Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, and second in the
Houghton Handicap at Newmarket ; in 1867
he won five races, including the Chichester
Stakes at Goodwood and a Match for £500
against The Earl, the third day of the Newmarket
Houghton Meeting. The Earl came from the
powerful Danebury stable, where also Lady
Elizabeth was trained. Xi had to give The
Farl 23 Ib., and beat him a head over six
furlongs. The information we thus gleaned was
invaluable. |

Sir Joseph used to let Wells and me “ stand
in” with him over some of his Matches. I
remember when the one for £500 between Blue
Gown and Friponnier was about to be decided
he asked me how much of the Stake I would
like to have, and I said £25. ‘‘ You had better
have a hundred,” said Sir Joseph. “It’s a
good thing, you know.” I agreed to take £100.
Then he turned to Wells and said, ‘‘ What do
you want?”’ With characteristic audacity Wells
replied : “The remainder, please!” “ And
what am I to have ?”’ asked Sir Joseph. “‘ Oh!”
said the jockey, ‘‘ the honour and glory will be
yours, sir.” Sir Joseph took this badinage in
good part and, I believe, allowed Wells also to
have a £100 share in the Match.

Before going to the Newmarket Second
October Meeting that year (1867) we tried our

102 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

best two-year-olds with Xi, and the following
was the result:

Six Furlongs

Rosicrucian, 2 yrs., 8 st. 4 lb.
Green Sleeve, 2 yrs., 7 st. 12 Ib. .
Blue Gown, 2 yrs., 7 st. 12 Ib.

Xi, 4 yrs., 9 st. 8 Ib.

Won by a length; five lengths between second
and third, a length between third and fourth.

~— WN

We had not had a runner at the First October
Meeting, but mapped out a campaign for the
Second October and Houghton weeks, taking
with us eight horses. Five of them won nine
races worth £10,985. The record may thus be
summarised :

Green Sleeve, 2 yrs., won Middle Park Plate (£4410) and
the Prendergast Stakes (£1025).

Rosicrucian, 2 yrs., won Criterion Stakes (£1240) and the
Troy Stakes (£1050).

Blue Gown, 2 yrs., won the Clearwell Stakes (£910).

Adosinda, 2 yrs., 3rd Maiden Plate and 3rd Bretby
Stakes.

Cotytto, 2 yrs., unplaced £100 Plate.

The Palmer, 3 yrs., won Free Handicap Sweepstakes (£11 50); ;
won Royal Stakes (£600) ; received forfeit (£100) in a Match ;
and in £100 Handicap—beaten a head. _

Wolsey, 4 yrs., beaten a neck in a deciding heat for the
Cambridgeshire, after dead-heating with Lozenge; 2nd in a
Free Handicap Sweepstakes.

Xi, 4 yrs., 3rd in Handicap Sweepstakes; beat The Earl
in a Match (£500) ; beaten in a Match by Friponnier.

2, ,

THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE 103

This series of achievements was one of which
we had every reason to be proud. It caused
quite a sensation.

On our way to Newmarket for the Second
October Meeting an exciting incident occurred.
We were taking not only the horses due to run
that week but also Wolsey, who was engaged in
the Cambridgeshire. Having three such valu-
able youngsters as Rosicrucian, Green Sleeve,
and Blue Gown in his team, Sir Joseph Hawley
was very anxious about their journey from
Cannon Heath to Newmarket. I must explain
that the Great Eastern London terminus was
then at Bishopsgate Street, and there was no
railway line connecting that system with
Paddington or Waterloo. We usually travelled
to Waterloo, and then walked the horses across
London to Bishopsgate Street.

On this occasion Sir Joseph headed our
procession through the City streets, in his
brougham, while I, riding my hack, was at the
tail-end of the “ string.”’ We reached Bishops-
gate Street without anything untoward happening,
and went to the loading-platform. This was
close to the Parcels Office ; vans and cabs were
constantly passing, and there was very little
space in which to manceuvre. Just as Sir
Joseph was congratulating himself on the fact
that our arrangements had worked without a
hitch, a “* growler ”’ came by and touched Wolsey

104 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

on one of his quarters. The next moment
Wolsey, who had reared up and fallen backwards,
was practically sitting in the cab! We got him
on his legs again, and, greatly to our relief, found
that only the cab had suffered. The cabman
was furious, and threatened an action to recover
damages. I retaliated by making a counter
threat, and probably frightened him by saying
that inasmuch as our horse was worth £3000
or £4000, our claim would inconvenience, if
it did not ruin, his master. This bluff answered
its purpose, for we heard nothing more about
the affair. I was really rather glad the accident
had happened, because it opened Sir Joseph’s
eyes to the risks that had to be run when we were
“ travelling ” the horses.

Of the races we won that week the Middle
Park Plate was far and away the most important,
as well as the most valuable. It was only the
second year of this event. I saddled both
Green Sleeve and Rosicrucian. The latter had
to carry 8 lb. more than the filly, but, as he
had given her 6 lb. in our trial and beaten her
a length, we naturally expected him to finish
in front again. This expectation was reflected
by the betting, for whereas odds of 7 to I were
laid against Rosicrucian, backers of Green
Sleeve could obtain 100 to 8. Sir Joseph
Hawley, however, made no declaration in favour
of either of his candidates; they were to run on

—

—

——

THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE 105

their merits, and many speculators guarded
themselves by backing the two coupled at 4 to 1.
Sir Joseph himself adopted this plan.

But our two youngsters were not the only
“peas in the pod.” The Danebury people
thought they had a particularly good one in
Lady Elizabeth, bearer of the Marquis of
Hastings’ colours. The public shared their
views. A bay filly by Trumpeter out of Miss
Bowzer, by Hesperus (son of Bay Middleton),
Lady Elizabeth had, up to this time, run in eleven
races and won them all. John Day (son of
my old master) deemed her as good as, if not
better than, Crucifix and Virago ; in fact, she
was considered a veritable marvel. And so,
although penalised 7 Ib. because of her previous
successes, she started a hot favourite at Ir to
10. Her owner was having one of his plunges.
The result read:

Sir J. Hawley’s b.f. Green Sleeve, 8 st. 3 lb. . Kenyon 1
Sir J]. Hawley’s b.c. Rosicrucian, 8 st.g lb. . Huxtable 2
Mr. M. Dawson’s ch.f. Lady Coventry, 8 st. 3 lb. Grimshaw 3
Mr. G. Jones’s ch.f. Formosa, 8 st. 13 Ib. . Heartfield 4

M. of Hastings’ b.f. Lady Elizabeth, 8 st. 13 Ib. Fordham 5
(Eleven others ran.)
Won by a head; two lengths between second and third.

Green Sleeve and Rosicrucian finished on
Opposite sides of the wide course. The filly
was close to the judge’s box, which was then on

106 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the farther side of the track. Rosicrucian almost
scraped the blackboard opposite. In the early
stages of the race the latter ran with the main
body, but afterwards bore away to the left.
How the judge could tell what had happened I
really don’t know. Sitting on my hack, I watched
the race from a point opposite the winning-post
on the farther side of the course, and I thought
Rosicrucian had won easily, just as Huxtable,
who rode him, did. I cantered away to meet —
Huxtable as he was returning to the paddock. —
‘* Well,” I said to him, “‘ how did he carry you ?”
“Oh!” he replied jauntily, “I won in a canter
by about six lengths.” “Did you indeed!”
was my rejoinder; “then you'll be surprised to
learn that the judge says Green Sleeve beat you
a head.” Huxtable was so taken aback that he
nearly fell off his horse. He was neither the
first nor the last jockey to be deceived when
riding at Newmarket. There can be little
doubt that Rosicrucian ought to have won,
for, on Huxtable’s own admission, he was by
no means “all out.” However, it did not
matter much, seeing that Sir Joseph’s bet was
safe if either of his candidates was first past the
post. There was, of course, much “ weeping
and wailing” in the Danebury camp, the more
so because Lady Elizabeth had handicapped
herself by making a slow beginning. She and
Formosa were close behind Lady Coventry at

THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE 107

the finish. “It is,” wrote a contemporary
chronicler, ‘‘ years since Danebury sustained so
decisive a blow as was inflicted on its fortunes
by the defeat of the slashing daughter of
Trumpeter. John Day, who had remained at
home to the last moment, was flabbergasted
when he saw Lady Elizabeth beaten, although
he must have heard enough of the merits of Sir
Joseph Hawley’s lot to convince him there were
‘rocks ahead’ of which his animal must steer
clear. Still, when we consider how often Lady
Elizabeth has been called upon during the season,
her having to lower her colours cannot create
much wonderment. If, however, the Marquis
of Hastings lost his money, he did not lose his
appetite, and, cheery as a lark, in pugilistic
language, he came up smiling, only to receive
more punishment in the next round.” Two
days later Lady Elizabeth re-established her
fame by giving the three-year-old Julius (the
winner, that week, of the Cesarewitch with
8 st. on his back) a short-head beating over six
furlongs ina Match for £1000. The filly was
receiving g Ib. in this “ duel,’ and her victory
convinced Fordham that she would have won
the Middle Park Plate but for the misfortune
that overtook her at the beginning of the race.
There is no need to dwell on the other suc-
cesses we scored at Newmarket that autumn.
As the summary previously given shows, we also

108 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

won good races with Rosicrucian and Blue
Gown, and the whole “ atmosphere ”’ of the two
meetings appeared to us to be charged with
happy auguries. A word or two may be added
concerning the Cambridgeshire. We enter-
tained no big ideas about Wolsey’s chance ;
he and Lozenge were both quoted in the betting
at 22 to 1. They ran two thrilling races. In
the deciding heat slight odds were laid on our
horse, but he was beaten a neck.

On Saturday, October 26, we left Newmarket
and went direct to Kingsclere, having now defi-
nitely vacated the stables at Cannon Heath. The
plans with which I was so busy while recovering
from my illness at Doncaster had been translated
into bricks and mortar. Park House had come
into being, and it was to be my home so long as
I remained in active service as a trainer—until,
that is to say, 1905. The house and stables
that exist to-day are, however, a considerably
enlarged edition of the establishment built by
Sir Joseph Hawley. His requirements were
small, for he never had many horses in training
at any one time. The house provided for
myself and family was a mere cottage, and the
boxes for the horses numbered only fourteen.
The land acquired extended to ten acres. It was
situated on the outskirts of the village, and
almost at the foot of the Downs which furnished
our training gallops. When Sir Joseph died I

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THE REMOVAL TO KINGSCLERE tog

was informed that a clause in his will gave me
the option of buying the property for £4000,
which was about half what it had cost. I, of
course, exercised the option, and as the stable
developed I had to build and build, until eventu-
ally I had spent £20,000 on improvements.
Kingsclere has a recorded history dating
back more than a thousand years. In the pre-
Norman days it was known simply as Clere.
King Alfred, by his will, bestowed it on his
daughter Ethelgiva, Abbess of Shaftesbury.
Domesday Book shows that in the time of
Edward the Confessor Edwin the huntsman
held two hides of the King’s demesne in Clere,
which the King gave him. Richard I. is known
to have visited Clere, while John established
his hunting-seat at Freemantle Park, near by.
King John it was who changed the name to
Kingsclere. The greater part of the parish
belonged to the Crown until Charles II. gave it
to his son, the Duke of Bolton, whose descendants
are still the chief landowners in the locality.
The Church of St. Mary’s, which stands in the
centre of the village, bears evidences of its Saxon
origin, and has many attractions for the anti-
quary. To me it enshrines many precious and
hallowed memories. It has been my privilege
to help my good friend the Vicar to add to the
church some suitable embellishments, including
stained-glass windows in the north transept.

110 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

But the charm of this House of God lies mainly
in its simplicity. For a country church it is
unusually large, and has a most imposing tower,
from the top of which a magnificent view is
obtained. Among the tombstones to be seen
in the churchyard is that over the grave of John
Wells, the jockey, who, partly on account of
his wife’s health, left Newmarket to live near
Kingsclere, and who died there.

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY

WE were in rather too great a hurry to leave
Cannon Heath. During the winter of 1867-
1868 Rosicrucian and Green Sleeve, together with
several of the other horses, suffered from a species
of influenza which reduced them to a very low
condition. The illness was, in all probability,
caused by the dampness of the new boxes, the
walls of which sweated a good deal. Luckily,
Blue Gown, whose box was between those
occupied by Rosicrucian and Green Sleeve,
escaped the malady. He had an extraordinary
constitution and seemed incapable of catching any
disease. In the early weeks of 1868 Rosicrucian
and Green Sleeve, suffering from persistent
coughs and colds, were treated by Mannington,
of Brighton, who inserted setons in their throats,
and these were not removed until about three
weeks before the Two Thousand Guineas, in
which both ran. Blue Gown was also engaged
in that race, but did not run because of a mis-
understanding. Mr. George Herring, who at

this period worked Sir Joseph’s commissions,
Iit

112 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

had misinterpreted some statement made to him,
and laid heavily against Blue Gown for the
Guineas. The horse was, therefore, withdrawn
from the race, because Sir Joseph did not want to
place his agent in an awkward predicament. We
sometimes saw Mr. Herring at Kingsclere. He
was godfather to my second daughter. In later
life he became a very wealthy man, but he made
most of his fortune in the City, where he was
associated with Baron Hirsch. He was naturally
an astute and clever man, and a very shrewd
Turf ‘‘ Commissioner.”

During the winter Lady Elizabeth was favourite
for the Derby at 6 to 1. Against Rosicrucian
odds of 13 to 2 were laid; Green Sleeve was
backed at 100 to 8, The Earl at 100 to 6, and
Blue Gown at 25 to 1. Against “Sir Joseph
Hawley’s lot ’’ odds of 500 to 150 were offered.
Sir Joseph backed each of his three candidates
to win him something like £80,000, but before
we realised that if we were to win the Derby it
would have to be with Blue Gown he had hedged
his bets about that colt. Later on it became
common knowledge that Rosicrucian and Green
Sleeve had wintered badly, nevertheless the public
made the filly favourite for the Two Thousand at
§ to 2. Formosa, who, it will be remembered,
had finished not far behind her in the Middle

Park Plate, was heavily backed at 3 to 1,

and Rosicrucian was third favourite at 8 to 1.

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 113

We did not, of course, fancy either of our
candidates. Formosa and Moslem ran a dead-
heat for first place; Mr. Chaplin’s St. Ronan was
a “‘ bad third,” and then came Green Sleeve, who
did quite as well as we expected. At the Craven
Meeting a fortnight earlier Blue Gown, who was
a trifle lame at the time because his plates had

been put on too tightly, ran The Earl to a neck

in the Biennial. The public “jumped to con-
clusions ” after that performance, because there

_ was a general impression that both Green Sleeve

and Rosicrucian were better than Blue Gown.

\So, indeed, they were according to our trial the

previous autumn. What would have happened
‘in the Two Thousand if our two runners had

‘fared well during the winter can only be

“conjectured.

The weather had now become warmer, and
we hoped Rosicrucian and Green Sleeve would
quickly throw off the effects of their illness. As
the days went by there was, however, scarcely
any noticeable improvement. A fortnight having
passed, it was decided that Rosicrucian and Blue
Gown should be formally tried together. Although
every effort was made to keep our intentions secret,
the local touts learned in some mysterious way
that there was to be a gallop. When visiting
Kingsclere, Sir Joseph Hawley generally travelled
either to Newbury or Overton, and the roads
from these stations to the stables were carefully

I

114. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

watched by the reporters. I therefore arranged —
with Sir Joseph that he should on this occasion —
alight at Whitchurch. He happened to be the
only passenger who got out of the train there, and ©
when he gave up his ticket at the exit, was ap-
proached by the driver of a pony trap. ‘‘ Can
I have the honour of taking you, Sir Joseph?” —
asked the man, who had been a postboy at the —
Stockbridge Inn, and so knew by sight many of —
the magnates of the Turf. Sir Joseph was, of —
course, afraid our plans to ensure secrecy had
been unmasked; but his alarm was needless. —
The driver of the trap was not in league with
the touts. On reaching the Downs he was ~
dismissed, and Sir Joseph walked to the ©
rendezvous. 5
In the meantime we at Kingsclere had been
compelled to resort to desperate measures in
order to defeat the pertinacious touts, who had
learned that the trial was to take place on the
morning of May 12. The previous evening ©
they took possession of an old toll-house on the ©
Overton road, about half a mile from the stables.
We usually went along this road when going to ~
the Downs in the morning, and the touts expected
to catch us, no matter how early we were astir.
They had a liberal supply of refreshment and a
pack of cards wherewith to while away the hours
of waiting. Unknown to them, one of my —
servants had watched their movements, and told _

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 11s

me all he had seen. We discussed what was
best to be done. My man solved the difficulty.
‘“‘T think we can keep them where they are, sir,”
he said. ‘“‘ There’s a chain and staple outside
the toll-house, and with a padlock we can fasten
them in.” This scheme was adopted, and with-
out disturbing our victims.

Early the following morning I took our horses
to the Downs by a bridle path across the fields,
and so did not go near the toll-house. Sir Joseph
was waiting for me, and the trial was run un-
observed by a single tout. When all was over
we returned to Park House by way of the toll-
house. Just as we got to it, the imprisoned touts
were busy removing one of the windows. When
they saw us, and realised they were well beaten,
their anger was intense, and they assailed us with
a volley of oaths. In a general way Sir Joseph
did not object to touts; he used to say, indeed,
that it was a bad sign when there were none
interested in our horses. But on this occasion
he greatly enjoyed the joke played at their expense.

We did not put Green Sleeve in the gallop ;
Blue Gown and Rosicrucian were tried with The
Palmer, and the result was as follows :

One Mile and a Quarter

Rosicrucian, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 1b. ; ‘ Py
Blue Gown, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. ; ; PUN
The Palmer, 4 yrs.,g st. ro lb... " ale.

Won by a neck; two lengths between second and third.

116 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

In ‘‘ Two Thousand ” week The Palmer, in
a mile handicap, had given Vespasian a year and
9 lb., and run him to a length and a half. A
fortnight before that Vespasian won a handicap
over the Ditch Mile. We knew, therefore, The
Palmer was in good racing trim. I cannot
remember exactly what our impressions were
when we saw Rosicrucian, still more or less an
invalid, finish in front of Blue Gown. I imagine,
however, that we must have been astonished.
On the other hand, taking the result simply as it
stood, it revealed Blue Gown as a colt who had
‘“‘ come on ”’ since the two-year-old trial, in which
“Rosi” gave him 6 lb. and beat him six lengths.
After we had discussed the situation, Sir Joseph
said to me: “I shall start my three in the Derby
(Green Sleeve being the third), and if Blue Gown
is the best on the day he will win if he can. I
shall, however, declare to win with either of the
other two.” This meant that Blue Gown was
to start to give the public a run for their money,
because, as I have already explained, Sir Joseph,
still standing to win £80,000 over either Rosi-
crucian or Green Sleeve, had laid off the bets he
had made about Blue Gown.

A word or two concerning the individual
characteristics of these three horses may not be
out of place here. Rosicrucian was the most
beautiful thoroughbred I have ever seen. Stand-
ing about 15.2, there was not a fault to be found

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 117

in his conformation; he was as near perfection
as a horse can be. He had a rich dark brown
coat. I have always regarded him as a very great
horse; with the exception of Ormonde, I doubt
if we have ever seen a better. This sweeping
statement may cause surprise. Why do I praise
him so highly? Well, over the Bretby Stakes
Course of six furlongs he could, as a four-year-old,
beat any horse in England. Vespasian was sup-
posed to be a tremendous miler, and at Goodwood,
as we have already seen, won the Chesterfield
Cup of 1869 with 10 st. 4 Ib. on his back. At
Goodwood the following year Rosicrucian, at
level weights, made a hack of Vespasian over the
Craven Course of a mile and a quarter. As a
six-year-old Rosicrucian carried 9 st. in the Ascot
Stakes (then 24 miles) and “ walked ”’ past the
winning-post, having beaten his opponents a long
way from home. In the Alexandra Plate (three
miles), the same week, he met Musket, supposed
to be the best stayer we had ever seen, gave him
7 lb., and beat him three-quarters of a length. It
did not matter to Rosicrucian what the course
was; whether it was four furlongs or four miles,
you could not find one to beat him when he was
at the top of his form. But for his illness in the
winter of 1867-68 he would undoubtedly have
won the Derby, for he was at least 10 Ib. better
than Blue Gown. He did not come to himself
again until the autumn of 1869.

118 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Nevertheless, Blue Gown was a good horse.
He stood about 15.24, and was greatly favoured
by his vigorous constitution. He required little
work and kept his condition well. Jockeys
never had any trouble with him, for he was a kind,
free horse to ride. His best distance was, I
should say, a mile. True, he won the Ascot
Cup, but in that race he was opposed merely by
the horses he had accounted for in the Derby,
and they could stay no better than he did. When
Blue Gown met a real stayer—as in the following
year when Brigantine beat him in the Ascot Cup—
his lack of stamina was apparent.

Green Sleeve was the biggest of the three,
for she measured 16 hands. Her coat was dark
brown, almost black. She was too big for her
limbs, for she was light of bone and very difficult
to train. When, however, I had her right she
was better than Blue Gown.

A day or two after our Derby trial we found
that the gallop had, for the time being, taken
out of Rosicrucian what little strength there was
in him ; he was not ready to run, nor anything
like it. As Green Sleeve was also far below par,
we were forced to rely chiefly on Blue Gown in
the Derby. The declaration Sir Joseph made in
favour of Rosicrucian and Green Sleeve was
merely a precautionary measure, and so under-
stood by the public; for whereas Blue Gown
started second favourite at 7 to 2, odds of 25 to

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 119

I and 30 to I, respectively, were tendered against
Green Sleeve and Rosicrucian. By adopting the
course he did, Sir Joseph merely provided for the
unlikely contingency of either of his other two
candidates running as well as Blue Gown. In
that event the latter could have been “ pulled ”
to allow his stable companion to win. Wells
had ridden all our Derby candidates in their
exercise gallops, and when given his choice of
mounts, selected Blue Gown without hesitation.
I should have thought him a poor judge had he
done otherwise. Blue Gown was then ready to
run for his life; the other two most certainly
were not.

The sporting public were greatly interested
in our three horses, and their merits were freely
discussed. I had an amusing experience one day
when travelling to Overton from Waterloo. A
military-looking gentleman and I had a compart-
ment to ourselves. The former, after reading a
sporting paper for some time, endeavoured to
open a conversation by saying to me: “ My
friend Hawley has three horses engaged in the
Derby. Sir Joseph tells me, and so does John
Porter, that Rosicrucian is the best; but Wells,
their jockey, whom I also know, fancies Blue
Gown.”’ I made no response, though I must
have had some difficulty in holding my tongue.
At Woking, our first stop, the guard came up
and handed me a parcel of books from Smith’s

120 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

library, which I ought to have received at Water-
loo. The wrapping bore my name in large
letters, and I displayed it in such a way that my
fellow-traveller could see who I was. Furtively
watching him, I secretly enjoyed his discomfiture
when he realised he had made a faux pas. The
instant the train drew up at Farnborough he bolted
from the compartment. I was still smiling over ~

the incident when he returned, and, addressing —
me through the open door, exclaimed: “‘ Don’t —
you think I am the biggest fool you ever met in —
your life!’ I made some soothing rejoinder, —
and then away he went. {

Before relating what actually happened in the ©
Derby that year it is necessary, in order that the ©

reader may have a full grasp of the situation,
to refer to the unhappy plight in which the
Danebury party found themselves on the eve of
the race. While we at Kingsclere, the previous
autumn, were gloating over our splendid trio,
John Day and the Marquis of Hastings were
equally wrapped up in Lady Elizabeth and The
Earl. It would, perhaps, be more correct to
name Lady Elizabeth alone, for, as a two-year-old,
she was much superior to the colt. Indeed, so

great was the confidence of the Danebury people — !

in the filly’s abilities that, while backing her to
win them a big stake in the Derby, they, it was

alleged, laid heavily against The Earl. This k Y

daring procedure landed them in a terrible mess.

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 121

Lady Elizabeth ‘“‘ went to pieces’’ during the

winter, her set-back being the result of the tre-
mendous effort made when she beat Julius in the
Match immediately after the Cesarewitch. She
became nervous and irritable and a delicate feeder.
As the weeks flew by the hopes of the Marquis
of Hastings descended to zero. His finances
were in a desperate state. Most of his horses
had, it was understood, been assigned to Mr.
Padwick as security for a loan advanced to enable
him to meet pressing debts. None knew better
than John Day that Lady Elizabeth’s success
was almost past praying for, but he was afraid to
learn the worst. The filly was not tried; she
was not even given a stripped gallop. And yet
the public, ignorant of the real state of affairs,
were eagerly taking 5 to 4 about Lady Elizabeth.
So far as the stable was concerned, the situation
was the more galling because, in The Earl, it
sheltered a colt believed to be capable of beating
Blue Gown. Owing, however, to the money
that had been laid against him, it was impossible
to allow The Ear] to start for the race with winning
orders. The night before the Derby he was
scratched. A week or two later The Earl won
the Grand Prix de Paris. On Derby Day the
odds against Lady Elizabeth expanded to 7 to 4,
as well they might, but the public were still
infatuated with her chance. Blue Gown was
second favourite at 7 to 2.

122 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

There were eighteen runners. Lady Eliza-
beth, who had been saddled at The Warren—
the Royal Hunting Box in the days of Charles II.
—was fractious at the starting-post, and lost a
few lengths when the flag fell. Entering the
straight, half a mile from home, Blue Gown was ©
lying second to Baron Rothschild’s King Alfred,
who was one of the “ outsiders.” Immediately
behind were Speculum, St. Ronan, and Rosi-
crucian. While traversing the last two furlongs,
King Alfred and Blue Gown had the issue between
them, and until close home the former looked
a certain winner; but Wells, riding with grim
determination, drove Blue Gown along to draw
level with King Alfred six strides from the goal,
and then, with a final effort, landed him first past
the post, the winner of an exciting contest by half
a length. Speculum finished third, St. Ronan
fourth, and Rosicrucian fifth. Lady Elizabeth
was at the tail-end of the field, outpaced all the
way. Two days later she was backed to win the
Oaks, but again cut an ignominious figure, the
prize going to Formosa. Apropos of our “ de-
claration,” it happened, curiously enough, that
Baron Rothschild, starting Suffolk as wel las
King Alfred, declared to win with the former,

who was fourth favourite at 10 to 1, whereas odds

of 50 to 1 were laid against King Alfred.
Though Sir Joseph Hawley had lost his bets,
he was very delighted over the victory of Blue

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 123

Gown. As for myself, I was transported into
the “seventh heaven,” for this was my first
“classic”’ triumph. Everybody was generous
with congratulations, and altogether it was a
great day for Kingsclere.

The Danebury people, on the other hand, were
in sore trouble. As if the bursting of the Lady
Elizabeth bubble was not a sufficient punishment,
Admiral Rous, boiling with indignation because
of the belated scratching of The Earl, wrote a
letter to The Times, in which he plainly indicated

_his belief that the Marquis of Hastings had been

made the dupe of Mr. Padwick and John Day.
At the end of the letter were the sentences: “ In
justice to the Marquis of Hastings, I state that
he stood to win £35,000 by The Earl, and did
not hedge his stake money. Then you will ask,
“Why did he scratch him?’ What can the
poor fly demand from the spider in whose web
he is enveloped ?”’

The Marquis and Mr. Padwick at once sent
rejoinders to The Times. ‘The former described

_ the Admiral’s letter “‘ as a tissue of misrepresenta-

tion from first to last. There is no single circum-
stance mentioned as regards my two horses, Lady
Elizabeth and The Earl, correctly stated. ...
The Earl was scratched by my express desire and
authority, and no one either prompted me or
suggested to me to adopt that course.” This
was fairly explicit, but Mr. Padwick went further.

124 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

He stated that, at the instance of the Duke of
Beaufort, he tried to dissuade the Marquis from
scratching The Earl; and, moreover, declared ~
that he himself had not wagered a shilling either
on or against the colt. As for John Day, he at ~
once sought the aid of the law, and instituted
proceedings against the Admiral. Just as the

public were developing a keen appetite for the a

disclosures the trial of the case was expected to — f
produce, the matter was more or less amicably

settled by the Admiral’s formal withdrawal of his
original letter. In taking that course he stated
that the day he wrote his accusation he addressed
a second letter to the editor of The Times

asking him not to publish the one which caused ~ :
offence. | hi
It only remains to be added that the Marquis

of Hastings, a victim of phthisis, died the follow- —
ing November. His brief and inglorious career '
formed the subject of many a homily on the evils
of gambling and the iniquities of the Turf. He
was undoubtedly one of the heaviest bettors during
a period when plungers abounded ; but those in
a position to know averred that he was not a loser

by his gambling on horses. It was, they said, ~

his losses over cards and his extravagance in ~
many directions that placed him in financial _
difficulties. At Doncaster that year the Marquis
asked me if I would take Lady Elizabeth and

The Earl and train them for him. I could not, a

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 125

of course, give him an answer until I had consulted
Sir Joseph Hawley. The latter said he preferred
that I should not train for the Marquis, and that
was the end of the matter.

Those were, indeed, exciting times for all
associated with racing. ‘There would then be as
much money at stake over a £100 Plate as there
is nowadays over the Derby itself. A succession
of young and wealthy members of the aristocracy
came on the Turf at that period, and each seemed
determined to outdo his fellows by indulgence
in reckless gambling. Several of them were
ruined, for a time at least, and went abroad to
live quietly while experts took their affairs in
hand. It was anything but a healthy state of
affairs, and we may be thankful that the Turf is
now surrounded by a much calmer “ atmosphere.”
I have never countenanced gambling. Betting
in moderation is not necessarily objectionable,
but I do not hold with those who maintain that
racing cannot be enjoyed unless it is accompanied
by betting. Some of the finest men I have
known on the Turf never made a bet. Racing
is a means to an end, and that end is not personal
agerandisement. It is what the French term
the amelioration of the thoroughbred. Remove
the racecourse test and the noblest of the equine
Species must inevitably deteriorate, and very
rapidly too. Heavy betting always has been,
and always will be, responsible for chicanery

126 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

and malpractices calculated to bring the Turf —
into disrepute.

Blue Gown’s next race after the Derby was
the Ascot Cup, and this he won very easily from
Speculum and King Alfred. I have already
explained that this achievement did not prove
him to be endowed with stamina; it simply
showed that his opponents were not real stayers.
At Doncaster he won the Fitzwilliam Stakes,
beating six opponents, including Vespasian. He
then competed in the Cesarewitch. Carrying
8 st. 11 lb. he started third favourite at 11 to 1,
but was unplaced. A fortnight later, in the
Cambridgeshire, he gave one of his finest
performances. Handicapped at 9 st. he con-
ceded 12 lb. to See-Saw, to whom he finished
second, beaten a length and a half only. Blue
Gown’s chance, with so much weight on his
back, was sadly prejudiced by a long delay at
the post and several false starts, in all of which

he came some distance. One critic writing of ~
the race declared that “ Blue Gown’s running ~
makes him out the best horse we have seen for

a great number of years.” Sir Joseph was one
of the first to adopt the idea that horses at the
top of a handicap had a good chance of winning.
He used to say: “ Give me a good horse and
never mind the weight.” He was about right.

We often hear growls about the iniquities of
the starting gate, but it would be ridiculous to

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 127

revert to the old flag system. At the same time,
I think better use could be made of the “ gate.”
I cannot understand why a fair trial is not given
to the walk-up start. How can a big horse be
expected to get quickly into his stride from a
standing start? He is still floundering about
when his smaller and more active opponents
have gone away from him and are winning the
race. This starting business has a great deal
to do with the in-and-out running about which
we hear so much. The little horse is off and
away, while the big one is “all abroad.”

Two days after the Cambridgeshire, again
carrying 9 st., Blue Gown won the Free Handi-
cap, giving from 20 lb. to 32 Ib. to his opponents.
Yes, he was a good horse, but not so good as
Rosicrucian or Green Sleeve. The latter, after
the Derby, was put aside with a special view to
the Cambridgeshire. Unfortunately, when we
tried her for that race she broke down and never
ran again. But for the mishap she could not
have lost the Cambridgeshire, for which she
was nicely handicapped. If I remember rightly,
her weight was about 7 st. 2 lb. Luckily Sir
Joseph had not backed her, because we were all
along doubtful whether she would stand training
up to the day of the race. Green Sleeve retired
to the paddocks at Leybourne Grange, where,
in 1870 and 1871, she produced fillies to Thor-
manby and Asteroid. Her first foal, Evergreen,

128 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

won a handicap at Newmarket as a three-year-old
when the property of Mr. Ellam. In 1873
Green Sleeve was sold and went to France.
There, mated with Dutch Skater, she bred Insu-
laire, winner of the French Derby, and second,
three days later, to Sefton in the Derby at Epsom.

As a four-year-old Blue Gown won seven of
his eleven races, including a walk-over. In the
Ascot Cup he was beaten by that year’s Oaks
winner, Brigantine, the first animal owned in
partnership by Sir Frederick Johnstone and Mr.
Gerard Sturt (afterwards Lord Alington), with
whom we shall come into close contact later on.
As I said previously, Blue Gown was no match
over a long course for a real stayer, which Brigan-
tine undoubtedly was. At the end of that
season Blue Gown was sold for £5000. The
buyer was Monsieur André, acting, it was under-
stood, on behalf of a French syndicate, who
hoped, before sending him to the stud, to win
with him big races at Deauville and Baden Baden.
He does not appear to have run at either of those
places, but in June 1870 he competed for the
Grand Prix de la Ville of £1og0 at Lyons.
Ridden by Daley, he was unplaced. Shortly
afterwards he was sold to Prince Pless, who ran
him five times in England in the autumn. His
only success was gained in a £50 handicap,
decided over the Cambridgeshire course. Dur-
ing the ensuing winter Blue Gown was sent to

BLUE GOWN’S DERBY 129

Austria, and remained there until 1877. He
then came back to England and for four seasons
was at the Cobham Stud. In 1881 he was
shipped to the United States (having been bought
by Mr. J. R. Keene), but died on the voyage
across the Atlantic. ‘The stock he got during
his four years in England won sixty races, worth
£11,122. The best of them were Sir George
Chetwynd’s Magician and Mr. T. E. Walker’s
Tyndrum. In Austria-Hungary his offspring
raced well enough to place him second in the
Sires’ list in 1878 and at the head of it in 1879.
During the three seasons Blue Gown was in my
hands he won eighteen races, worth £13,057.
Rosicrucian did not run as a three-year-old
after the Derby; it was obvious he needed a
long rest to enable him to throw off the effects
of his illness. We were well rewarded for our
patience. After running unplaced in the Queen’s
Stand Plate at Ascot, the Great Eastern Railway
Handicap and the Cambridgeshire, Rosicrucian,
as a four-year-old, won the All-Aged Stakes at
the Newmarket Houghton Meeting, beating
Formosa a neck. This performance showed he
had at last recovered his form. The following
season he won six races out of thirteen, and was
only three times unplaced; while as a six-year-
old, after running unplaced in the Prince of
Wales’s Stakes at Epsom and in the Chester
Cup, he won the Ascot Stakes (24 miles) carry-
K

130 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

ing 9 st., and also the Alexandra Plate (3 miles),
beating Musket three-quarters of a length. Sir
Joseph Hawley then sold him to Mr. (now
Viscount) Chaplin and Lord Granville, who sent
him to the stud in 1872. For a time he was at
the Middle Park Stud, but afterwards at Sand-
gate, Pulborough, the stud of Mr. Carew-Gibson.
The best of his sons was Beauclerc, who, however,
failed to carry on the line in tail-male. Rosi-
crucian sired a number of high-class brood mares,
distinguished for their superb quality. The
most noteworthy was Lord Stamford’s Oaks
winner Geheimniss, whom I had the pleasure of
training at Kingsclere. Another was Hauteur,
who carried off the One Thousand Guineas in
1883. The dams of Volodyovski, Doricles, and
Vedas, winners of the Derby, St. Leger, and
Two Thousand Guineas, were all daughters of
Rosicrucian, who died in 1891.

PERO GOMEZ

Tue rich vein that yielded us Blue Gown,
Rosicrucian, and Green Sleeve produced other
valuable “‘ nuggets ’ in Pero Gomez and Morna,
two-year-olds in 1868. A brown colt by Beads-
man out of Salamanca, and therefore brother
to Arapeile, one of our winners in 1866, Pero
Gomez did not make his first public appearance
until the autumn of his juvenile days, so I will
deal first of all with Morna, a bay, and sister to
The Palmer and Rosicrucian. She ran her first
race in the summer at Epsom, where she finished
second in the Two Year Old Stakes to Chanoin-
esse, sister to Hermit and a winner that season
of nine races. Morna’s next outing was at Good-
wood, where she was unplaced for the Lavant
Stakes, won by Mr. Brayley’s Duke of Beaufort,
by Trumpeter. At Doncaster she was in the
Champagne Stakes, and for that race we tried her
on September 1 with the following result:

Six Furlongs

Morna, 2 yrs., 7 st. 4 1b. . ; : re
Pero Gomez, 2 yrs., 8 st. rr lb. . ’ MS |
Xi, 4 yrs., 10 st. 4 Ib. ‘ , , wy

Won by two lengths; the same between second and third.
131

132, JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

The weights carried by the two-year-olds in
that gallop show we already had a very high
opinion of Pero Gomez. If he had been formally
tried previously, I have no record of it. At

Ascot that year Xi—‘‘ Hexeye” as some of ©

the bookmakers persisted in calling him—had —
successfully given 3 st. all but a pound to the —

Duke of Newcastle’s two-year-old Abstinence. ~

At Stockbridge this filly won the Hamilton y

Stakes; at Newmarket ran Ryshworth to a neck ©
in the July Stakes, and Chatelherault to a head ~
in the Chesterfield Stakes; while in the autumn

she won the Hopeful Stakes, We were, there-
fore, justified in asking Xi to give Morna 3 st.
in the trial, and the result gave us a good idea ©
of her chance at Doncaster. One of the horses
we had to beat in the Champagne was Mr,
Merry’s colt Belladrum, who had won five of ~

his six races, including the Woodcote at Epsom,

the New Stakes at Ascot, and the Ham and — (
Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood. His one defeat

was suffered in the Troy Stakes at Stockbridge,
in which he failed by a head to give 3 Ib.
to Ryshworth. Speculators at Doncaster were

asked to lay odds of 5 to 1 on Belladrum, and

many put their money down cheerfully, thinking

they were presented with a fine opportunity of

making their week’s expenses. Their opinion

was not shared by Sir Joseph Hawley. I have
stated that at Newmarket, in July, Abstinence

PERO GOMEZ 133

ran Ryshworth toa neck. Taking a line through
Xi, Abstinence, and Ryshworth, Sir Joseph came
to the conclusion that Belladrum was by no
means certain to beat Morna in the “ Cham-
pagne.” And he was right, for after a terrific
struggle, our filly defeated Belladrum a head.
There were some long faces seen that afternoon.
Belladrum, it may be mentioned in passing,
was already favourite for the following year’s
Derby.

Morna ran in four more races that season,
picked up a £roo Plate at Newmarket, and won
a Match against Mr. Chaplin’s Acaster. The
following year she was very unlucky, for she ran
second to Scottish Queen in the One Thousand
Guineas, second to Brigantine in the Oaks
(starting favourite for both races), and second to
Thorwaldsen in the Gold Vase at Ascot. The
Oaks that year was associated with one of the
most violent thunderstorms I ever saw. We
drove from Ashstead to the courseinacab. My
brother-in-law was with the driver on the box;
inside with me were my wife and sister. One
flash of lightning seemed to strike the umbrella
my brother-in-law was holding. Another moment
we thought something had exploded inside the
cab. The noise made by the thunder was
appalling, and we were all nearly scared to
death. I believe some people were killed on
the Downs.

134 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Morna could not quite stay the Oaks course,
and the heavy going after the storm did not
improve her chance. Brigantine, who beat her
that day, was a light, shelly sort of mare, with
beautiful action. As previously stated, she beat
Blue Gown in the Ascot Cup the following
year.

At Goodwood Morna won the Nassau Stakes,
giving Scottish Queen, who finished a bad third,
7 lb.; and at Doncaster won the Don Stakes. In
the Brighton Cup she was placed second to
Restitution. The latter belonged to Baron Roths-
child, who was said to have made a wager before
the race that the cup would be on his dinner-
table that night. Immediately after racing was
over he drove away with the Cup under his arm,

and chartering a special train to London, won his

bet. We ran Morna as a four-year-old in the
Ascot, Goodwood, and Stewards’ Cups. She was
unplaced each time. Then she went to the stud,
and in 1872 produced to Asteroid a filly named
Zitella, who won a race at Epsom for Mr. Chaplin
as a two-year-old. Barren in 1873, Morna was
sold to go to France. Her record as a brood
mare was a very indifferent one.

Pero Gomez made his first appearance in
public in the Middle Park Plate of 1868.
A few days previously we tried him with
Morna and The Palmer, with the appended

result :

PERO GOMEZ 135

Six Furlongs

Pero Gomez, 2 yrs.,9 st. 7 lb. . ‘ ee
Morna, 2 yrs., 9 st. . ; , hi
The Palmer, 4 yrs., ro st. 7 ‘Db. , “ ice

Won by aneck; the same between second and
third.

According to the official weight-for-age scale
a four-year-old should, at that time of the year,
give a two-year-old 26 lb. Pero Gomez was,
therefore, opposing The Palmer at a disadvantage
of 12 lb. Moreover, the proof we now had that
he was 8 lb. better than Morna was, to say the
least, encouraging, and we looked forward to his
winning the Middle Park Plate with every confi-
dence. The favourite, at 45 to 20, was the Duke
of Hamilton’s colt, Wild Oats, who was also
making his first appearance, and reported to have
been tried 12 lb. better than the four-year-old
Silenus, a winner of four races that season.
Pero Gomez was backed at 3 to 1, and King
Cophetua (by Asteroid-Mendicant) was third
favourite at6to1. King Cophetua also belonged
to Sir Joseph. His only previous outing was at
Ascot, where he was backed to win the New
Stakes, but ran unplaced. It seems strange to
read now that Sir Joseph actually declared to win
the Middle Park Plate with King Cophetua in
preference to Pero Gomez. His reason for so
doing was to save Pero from a penalty if his two
colts approached the winning-post with the race

136 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

between them. I am bound to say that, so far
as my recollection of King Cophetua helps me,
the chance was an exceedingly remote one. He
did manage to win a handicap at Newmarket the
following spring, but that was the full measure of
his contribution to the stable’s earnings.

Pero Gomez, ridden by Jim Adams, won the
Middle Park Plate by half a length from Scottish
Queen, with Pretender third, three lengths away.
Wild Oats, to the dismay of Matt Dawson, was
hopelessly beaten a long way from home. A day
or two after the race Matt tried Wild Oats again,
and satisfied himself that the Middle Park Plate
form was, so far as he was concerned, all wrong.
The truth of the matter probably was that the
colt—a raw, overgrown youngster—ran green.
‘“‘ Pero,” wrote a contemporary chronicler, “ is
not a taking horse; he is upright in his pasterns,
goose-rumped, with short quarters.” But the
same authority pertinently added that the man who
owned a better two-year-old might consider him-
self a fortunate individual. And that, indeed,
was so. It should be explained that Pretender
was giving Pero Gomez 7 Ib. His performance
was, therefore, a fairly satisfactory one from the
point of view of his owners, Mr. John Johnstone
and Mr. (afterwards Sir) Robert Jardine,
especially as his trainer, Tom Dawson of
Middleham, declared that he had not yet got
the colt thoroughly wound up. Pretender was

PERO GOMEZ 137

by Adventurer out of the Venison mare Ferina,
who was twenty-two years old when this son of
hers was born. Adventurer “got” him the
first season he was at the Sheffield Lane Stud.
Messrs. Johnstone and Jardine bought Pretender
as a yearling from his breeder, Mr. Sadler of
Doncaster. Before competing for the Middle
Park Plate he had run three times. After two
failures, he won at York the North of England
Biennial, and so earned the penalty he carried in
the Middle Park Plate.

At the Newmarket Houghton Meeting, Matt
Dawson had the satisfaction of seeing his faith
in Wild Oats justified, for the son of Wild Dayrell
dead-heated for first place in the Criterion Stakes
with Pero Gomez at level weights. The stakes
were divided, and Pero went back to Kingsclere
to take things easily until the following spring.
Belladrum, who, after his defeat by Morna at
Doncaster, had won five more races,.was, at 5 to
I, the winter favourite for the Derby. Pero
Gomez was second in the list, followed by Wild
Oats and Pretender. There was no getting
away from the chance possessed by Pero Gomez;
at the same time, I did not look upon him as
being within many pounds of Rosicrucian at the
same stage of his career.

During the winter all went well, and Pero
Gomez was fairly fit by the time the Newmarket
Craven Meeting came round in April. He

138 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

was not engaged in the Two Thousand Guineas, _

so I trained him with the Derby specially in

view. However, with odds of 2 to 1 laid on hums 4
Pero Gomez won the Newmarket Biennial, —

beating Mr. Brayley’s Duke of Beaufort a neck. —
On the strength of this performance Duke of ~

Beaufort started an equal favourite with Pre- ~
tender for the Two Thousand Guineas. But ~
the equality ended at that, for Pretender won ~

the race cleverly by half a length from Belladrum,
and Duke of Beaufort finished in the ruck. —

Before this Belladrum had lost caste as a candidate

for Derby honours, and Mr. Merry had hedged © |

his money. The discovery had been made that |
the colt could not stay owing to wind infirmity.
Indeed, those who knew most about him were ©

astounded when they saw how resolutely he
stuck to Pretender on the Rowley Mile. f

Our customary Derby trial took place on ~
May 20. The record in my book reads: bd

One Mile and a Half

Lictor, 4 yrs., 7 st. I Ib. . . ‘ —— I
Morna, 3 yrs., 7 st.8 1b... : _—2
Blue Gown, 4 yrs.,9 st. 11 lb... . Wells 3
Pero Gomez, 3 yrs., 8 st.g lb... . Adams 4

Won by two lengths; ten lengths between second
and third; four lengths between third and fourth.

This was a facer! We were completely yi
mystified. Adams and Wells could offer no —

PERO GOMEZ. 139

satisfactory explanation. It might be that these
two jockeys were so busy watching each other
that they let the others “slip”? them. On the
other hand it was possible that Pero Gomez
was that morning in no humour for racing.
We could only hope he would show us very
different form in the Derby. Lictor, who is
thus introduced to the reader, was a colt by
Lambton out of Parasol. Running in the name
of the trainer Drewitt, he won a selling race
(winner to be sold for £500) two days after Pero
Gomez carried off the Middle Park Plate. He
was not sold then, but Sir Joseph Hawley bought
him shortly after, and a very useful servant he
was to us at Kingsclere. I almost rank him
with Xi as a reliable trial horse. But, as we
shall see presently, he was the innocent means
of bringing a number of people into serious
trouble.

We did not win the Derby, but Pero Gomez
was beaten a head only by Pretender, who started
favourite at 11 to 8. Pero Gomez at 11 to 2,
and Belladrum at 6 to 1, were the only two of
the winner’s twenty-one opponents seriously
backed to beat him. It was an unsatisfactory
race in more ways than one. Approaching
Tattenham Corner there was a scrimmage, due
to Thorwaldsen swerving in front of Duke of
Beaufort and nearly bringing him down. Wells
afterwards told me that Pero Gomez, thrown

140 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

suddenly out of his stride, stumbled so that his
head touched the ground, and it is a fact that ~
the colt had some dirt on his nose when he
returned to the unsaddling enclosure. I am ~
bound to say, however, that Wells did not shine _
that day. To begin with, he got badly away,
and then rode carelessly. He had seen Pero ©
Gomez badly beaten in his trial, and so under- ~
rated his powers. q

Towards the finish of the race Pero Gomez
and Pretender, at the head of the field, were —
running practically level. It was a most thrilling —
duel, and there was tremendous excitement when —
the judge signalled his verdict in favour of —

Pretender. As he passed the post Wells was ~

under the impression he had won, and was taken —

aback when he learned that the judge did not
agree with him. While nursing our disappoint- ~

ment, we gave an occasional thought to the trial —

on May 20, and had greater cause than ever ~
to wonder what could have been the matter with ~

Pero Gomez that day. His defeat at Epsom —

made a big difference to Sir Joseph, who stood ©

to win a big sum. With ordinary luck, we should : |
certainly have won that Derby. #
The following Monday Sir Joseph Hawley

threw a “bomb” in the midst of the company
assembled at Tattersall’s for the purpose of
settling the betting accounts for the previous

week. The startling news came that Messrs,

PERO GOMEZ 141

Weatherby had received a communication
reading :

Having heard a rumour that Mr. Sadler, the nominator
of Pretender for the Derby, died before the race was run,
I give notice to you not to pay over the stakes till the
matter is cleared up.

(Signed) JosepH Haw ey.

Who had set this rumour afloat, and how it
came to the ears of Sir Joseph, I never heard.
It had no foundation in fact. Mr. Sadler was
actually at Epsom, and saw Pretender win the
Derby. By his unfortunate action, “ Pero’s”’
owner brought upon himself no little odium.
Pero Gomez, a fortnight later, won the
Ascot Derby, but the same week was beaten a
length and a half by Lord Calthorpe’s Martyrdom
in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. We then put
him by for the St. Leger. In this event he
again met Pretender. The northern champion
was, however, no longer the horse he had shown
himself in the spring. Years afterwards Tom
Dawson’s head man, Hannam, declared that
Pretender steadily deteriorated after his severe
race in the Two Thousand. His performance
in the St. Leger bears out that statement, for
he made a poor show. John Osborne, who rode
the colt both at Epsom and Doncaster, explains
the difference in the form by pointing out that
while the Derby was run on hard going, the St.

142 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Leger was decided on soft turf. Anyway, Pero
Gomez won the St. Leger, beating Martyrdom
a neck. This was the first and only occasion
on which Sir Joseph Hawley’s colours were
borne to victory in the Doncaster “ classic.”
Two days later Pero and Pretender had another
““go” at each other in the Doncaster Stakes,
over a mile and a half. Pretender was beaten
half a length only. This form is explained
by the fact that Pero Gomez was a lazy horse ;
he would not win by more than he could help.
I do not mean to say he required a lot of driving ;
he was very good-natured, but not one of the
free-going sort. The explanation offered by
John Osborne regarding Pretender reminds me
that Sir Joseph never thought much of horses
for whom excuses had to be made, either before
or after a race. Sometimes I had to tell him
that skis horse wanted firm going or shat pre-
ferred the ground soft. He always replied:

“They won’t make the conditions to suit you.

Just take them as they come.”

A walk-over for both the Duke Michael and
Royal Stakes, and an unsuccessful effort in the
Free Handicap—all Newmarket races—brought
the career of Pero Gomez on the Turf to a close.
In the Free Handicap he carried 9 st., and
finished third to Cardinal York (who received
30 |b.), and Border Knight, in receipt of 26 Ib.
These were two good horses to whom he was

PERO GOMEZ 143

trying to concede an impossible amount of
weight. In November 1871, Sir Joseph Hawley
sold some of his horses and brood mares at
Tattersall’s. Pero Gomez was included in the
draft and made 3000 guineas. He began his
stud life in 1872 at the Bonehill Paddocks,
Tamworth, at a fee of 20 guineas, afterwards
raised to 50 guineas. He sired a number of
Winners, but the only one of any note was
Peregrine, who won the Two Thousand Guineas
for the Hon. R. Grosvenor in 1881, and ran
second to Iroquois in the Derby. “ Pero”
stood 16 hands and was a game, honest horse
with a splendid constitution. Unfortunately
his forelegs were very straight, and he was, in

consequence, difficult to train.

SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY AND HIS
TRADUCERS

One of our winners in 1868 was Fakir, then a 4 |
four-year-old gelding. By a Derby winner out —
of an Oaks winner, his parents being Musjid
and Mendicant, he ought to have been a useful —
member of the Kingsclere team, but he was a
duffer, and a vicious one. As a two- and three-
year-old colt he raced a few times to no purpose,
Then we had him cut, and as a four-year-old
he managed to win a £50 Plate at Goodwood.
One morning on the Downs he seized the leg
of the boy who was riding him, pulled the youth —
out of the saddle, knelt on his chest, and began
to worry him. Fortunately the hood he was
wearing slipped down over his eyes, and so the
boy got his chance of rolling away, scrambling
to his feet, and running out of danger. Fakir |
was castrated that day. As he was a hopeles 4 |

to use as a hack. ‘Tom sold him to the Stocked | :

bridge postman, and the latter turned him over

to a man who drove a trap for hire. Two or” ~
144

ss

SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY 145

three years afterwards I went to Stockbridge
races. When I entered the station-yard the
only vehicle available was a small wagonette.
I got up beside the driver, to whom I said
presently: “‘ I seem to know this horse you are
driving. I am sure I have seen him before.
Where did you get him?” “ From the postman
here,” replied the driver, ‘‘and he bought him
from Tom Cannon.” ‘‘ Ah!” said I, “‘ so this
is my old friend Fakir. Do you know you are
driving a horse whose father won the Derby,
and whose mother won the Oaks?” “ Never!”
exclaimed the man. “ Yes,” I replied, “it’s a
fact. This horse of yours has in his veins the
most aristocratic equine blood in England.”
Making further inquiries, I learned that Fakir
had always been perfectly well behaved in
harness, and he duly landed me safely at the
racecourse.

One of the two-year-olds at Kingsclere in
1868 was Siderolite, a colt by Asteroid out of
Aphrodite. He was a much overgrown juvenile,
and I never expected him to win a race that
season. Nor did he, though we ran him five
times in the autumn. The following year,
however, he developed useful form, winning the
Gratwicke and Racing Stakes at Goodwood,
and a Match at Newmarket against Baron
Rothschild’s Midsummer. The Match arose

out of the race for the Gratwicke Stakes, in which
L

146 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Siderolite gave Midsummer 3 lb. and beat him
a neck. ‘They met on the same terms in the
Match, and with odds of 6 to 4 laid on him
Siderolite won in a canter. As a four-year-old —
he was successful in five of the seven races in
which he took part—the Gold Vase at Ascot,
and four Queen’s Plates. Many people would
have turned Siderolite out of training as a two-
year-old, assuming him to be useless; but we
had an idea he might develop into a stayer, and
he did. The older he got the better he became. _

It was about this time that The Sporting Times.
made its savage attack on Sir Joseph Hawley. ~
We had three horses entered for the Liverpool
Autumn Cup of 1869—Blue Gown, Siderolite,
and Lictor. It was a race on which there was
then a considerable amount of ante-post betting. —
When the weights appeared, the public, en-
couraged by some of the sporting papers,

backed Blue Gown and Siderolite in preference
to Lictor. In the meantime Sir Joseph held ~

his own counsel; but on the Monday of Liver-

pool week, four days before the race, he decided,
after hearing my report about the condition of
his horses, to rely upon Lictor. The other two
were at once scratched. Starting second favourite
at 6 to 1—Sir Joseph had about £500 on—

Lictor won the Cup, beating Lord Westmore- q ¢
land’s Cocoa Nut by a length, with the favourite,
Lopez third, a head behind. Bi

SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY 147

Shortly afterwards The Sporting Times, the
editor and proprietor of which was Dr. Short-
house, published an article the virulence of which
staggered the racing community. Through-
out the libellous attack my employer was re-
ferred to as “Sir Joseph Scratchhawley.” He

_ was declared to be “the spoilt darling of the

Turf,” who tried all he could “ to bespatter his
ancient name before, in the course of nature, he
is compelled to resign his seat in the Jockey
Club and his place in the Stewards’ Stand to a
better man.”

“* Matters,” wrote the libellers, “prospered well at
‘Lame ’un Grange,’ the breeding establishment of the
wealthy baronet. Derby winners begat Derby winners.

. Who can tell what demon cast his evil eye on
the place, and cursed Sir Joseph to become ennuyéd with
so much success? Yet so it would appear to be; and so
every one judged to be the case who saw his wretched,
discontented, scowling face, as he leaned with his chin
on his stick in the Stewards’ Stand, and almost cursed
his good horse Blackleg (Blue Gown) as he cantered
home a Derby winner, because, forsooth, he had made a
mistake, and had backed the stable companions, while he
had given ‘ the office’ to lay against the best horse of the
present century... . But for his own ignorance he
might have won a fortune on the horse; and this was the
last straw that broke the camel’s back—otherwise Sir
Joseph’s patience. Shall we say that in his conscience
he felt such epithets bestowed on him by the Sporting
Press as ‘fine sportsman,’ ‘straightforward,’ etc., so

148 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

totally undeserved, that he henceforth took the resolution
to prevent, if possible, any such misplaced approbation.

“Since that time, whenever any of his horses have
been fairly handicapped, the public have been allowed to
get well on them, and they have been scratched. . . . It
is reserved till the Liverpool Cup to place the coping
stone to this edifice of coping proceedings.”

There was more to the same effect. Never,
probably, in the history of British journalism
has a libel been published comparable with the
foregoing effort. The late Sir George Chetwynd
offered an explanation of the way in which the
article came to be written. He stated that the
staff of The Sporting Times used to meet at a
weekly dinner and discuss the forthcoming issue
of the paper. At one of these gatherings the
question arose as to how the circulation could
best be increased. It was finally decided that
a series of attacks on well-known and honoured
owners of racehorses would serve the purpose
well. Sir Joseph Hawley, General Peel, and
Lord Derby were the selected victims, and Sir
George suggested that it was probably settled
by lot that Sir Joseph Hawley should be the
first subject attacked. A young man in the
employ of Mr. Tod Heatley, the wine merchant,
either volunteered, or was deputed, to write the
scurrilous article. It was anticipated that civil

proceedings for libel would be instituted against
the paper, and that damages would have to be y

Spee er ee ei a an —

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ats

Se is Se Se ie ee

SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY 149

paid, but the increased circulation would, it was
supposed, leave a balance on the right side. The
possibility that Sir Joseph would appeal to the
criminal courts did not enter into the calculation
of the conspirators, and great was their consterna-
tion when, on the advice of Mr. George Lewis,
criminal proceedings were instituted against Dr.
Shorthouse and his printer.

In the issue of The Sporting Times published
a week after the one containing the libel, Dr.
Shorthouse pleaded that the writing and publica-
tion of the article “reflecting in the most un-
warrantable manner upon the character and
conduct of Sir Joseph Hawley” were entirely
without his knowledge, and that he read it with
surprise and disgust. He explained that he was
ill when the paper containing it was prepared for
the press, and declared that he was sure the
calumny had caused more pain and annoyance
to him than it had done to Sir Joseph.

Dr. Shorthouse was sentenced to a term of
three months’ imprisonment and fined £50.
The writer of the libel was believed to be one
Alfred Geary, who for a time acted as private
secretary to General Peel, but drifted into journal-
ism via the wine trade. It was said that he
pressed Dr. Shorthouse to allow him to take sole
responsibility for the attack on Sir Joseph, but
that the Doctor refused to relieve himself of the
consequences.

1s0 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Shortly after his release from prison, Dr.
Shorthouse attended an Epsom meeting. He
came up to me in the little unsaddling enclosure.
“Ts Sir Joseph here?” he asked. “Yes,” I
replied. “‘I want to see him very particularly.”
At that moment Sir Joseph, who had been stand-
ing at the top of the stairway leading down from
the Jockey Club Stand, began to descend the
steps. Dr. Shorthouse went to meet Sir Joseph
and raised his hat as he approached with a
marked display of politeness. I expected there
would be a row, but there was nothing of the
kind. The Doctor, I afterwards learned, told
Sir Joseph that he admired him as a man, declared
that few would have had the courage to take the
proceedings he did in defence of his good name,
and so on. Everybody in the enclosure was
watching the pair, and there was general astonish-
ment and satisfaction when they were seen to
shake hands. Henceforward they were the best
of friends. So ended an episode that was a
disgrace to journalism, but which served to reveal
in a striking way the strength of character of the
two men chiefly concerned. Sir Joseph did not
want Dr. Shorthouse to suffer imprisonment,
and tried his utmost to secure the defendant’s
release after the trial. He personally appealed
to the Home Secretary to quash the sentence,
but without avail.

Sir Joseph always held very decided views

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SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY ISI

concerning the rights and the responsibilities of
owners. He greatly resented the interference
of other people with his racing projects. I will
cite a case in point. In the spring of 1869 we
tried Vagabond good enough, as we thought,
to win the City and Suburban at Epsom. The
entry in the Trial Book reads:

One Mile and a Quarter

Vagabond, 3 yrs., 7 st. 2 lb. I
The Palmer, 5 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. Hie
Blue Gown, 4 yrs., 9 st. 13 Ib. : ; MMi
King Cophetua, 3 yrs., 7 st. 2 lb. 4

Won by a length; a neck between second and
third ; four lengths between third and fourth.

A tout named Walters, whose mother kept
the Swan Inn at Kingsclere, and who ran a betting
scheme in connection with which he published The
Kingsclere Racing Circular, had the result of the
trial conveyed to the telegraph office at Newbury
by a relay of horses, for there was no telegraph
office at Kingsclere in those days. When, later
in the day, Sir Joseph wanted to back Vagabond
he was intensely annoyed on finding that the
horse was favourite. To punish those who had
forestalled him he struck Vagabond out of the City
and Suburban, and ran him in the Great Metro-
politan instead. Two miles and a quarter was,
however, far too long a distance for Vagabond,
and he was unplaced.

152 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

In the three years 1867-8-9, the horses I
trained for Sir Joseph Hawley won stakes to the
value of £52,697. Then, however, came another
succession of lean seasons. Not until 1878 did
the Kingsclere total for any one year run again
into five figures, and in the meantime Sir Joseph
had been gathered to his fathers. After Blue
Gown and Rosicrucian had left the Turf, his
active interest in racing rapidly waned, chiefly
owing to his bad health. When I say “active
interest” I mean the interest he took in his own
horses, none of whom, as it happened, was of
much account. In other ways he continued,

for a time, as alert as ever. It was, indeed, in

1869 and 1870 that he became so prominent as
an advocate of Turf reform.

TURF REFORM

Sir JosepH Hawtey’s proposed changes in the
Rules of Racing caused much commotion in Turf
circles. The clauses of his ‘‘ Reform Bill,’’ as it
was called, were discussed by the lay as well as

‘by the sporting press. The Times went so far

as to devote a leading article to the subject.
Opinions of men of note in the realm of sport
were eagerly canvassed. The controversy raged
chiefly around the drastic changes Sir Joseph
advocated in regard to the racing of two-year-olds.
The campaign was begun at a General Meeting
of the Jockey Club held in May 1869. At that
gathering Sir Joseph Hawley proposed:

1. That no two-year-old shall run earlier in the year
than the first of July.

2. ‘That no two-year-old shall start for any handicap.

3. That in future no money shall be added from the
funds of the Jockey Club to any race for which two-year-
olds may be entered.

4. Vhat if two or more two-year-olds run a dead-
heat, they shall not be allowed to run again, but the
prize shall be equally divided between or among them.

153

154 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

These suggestions proved unacceptable to the
majority of the members of the Club. The third
proposal was withdrawn before it had been sub-
mitted to a vote; the other three were rejected
by substantial majorities. But Sir Joseph’s en-
deavours were not entirely abortive, for it was
decided by a majority of twenty-seven to eight that
no two-year-old should run before May 1. Onthe

principle that half a loaf is better than no bread, —

Sir Joseph was pleased that his fellow-members

had gone thus far on the road he sought to lead 4

them. He was not, however, content with this

qualified success. His next move was to give —

his views a wider publicity through the columns

of the Press. The reforms he recommended i

were:

1. No horse to run in any flat race after November 15 q )
or before March 25, and no two-year-old before Sep-

tember I.

2. No entries for two-year-old races shall be made
more than fifteen days before the day advertised for

running.

received in any handicap.

4. No public money, cup or other prize, to be given y
in any race to which two-year-olds are admitted, to any

race under a mile, or to any handicap.

5. All entries to be made in the real name of anowner

or part owner.

6. That the basis of the Jockey Club be extended, and —
that not only more gentlemen who are large owners of —

3. No entry of any horse under four years old to be B|

— Pt met = ee
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TURF REFORM 15s

racehorses, but those who take interest in racing as a
means of preserving the breed of horses, be invited to
become members.

Attached to this programme were some pro-
posals relative to betting. It was the general
opinion that these betting clauses greatly pre-
judiced the scheme as a whole, because the
Jockey Club had for years specifically refused
to take cognisance of betting. Sir Joseph,
however, declined to give way to his critics, and
presented his “‘ Charter” in its complete form
at the Annual Meeting of the Jockey Club held
at Newmarket in April 1870. He did not ask
for its adoption right away. His first step was
to propose the appointment of a committee
“to consider the present condition of the
Turf.” Lord Durham came forward as_ his
seconder.

The opposition was led by Admiral Rous,
who intimated that at the next meeting of the
Club the Stewards would themselves ask for a
committee “to consider the present state of
the Turf.” Mr. Caledon Alexander and Lord
Royston proclaimed themselves supporters of
the Admiral; Mr. Henry Chaplin sided with
Sir Joseph Hawley. The précis of the proceed-
ings given in the Racing Calendar states that
“some members expressed their willingness to
support Sir J. Hawley’s motion if he would
withdraw from it everything relating to betting,

156 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

which he declined to do.” When a vote was
taken it was found that there were nine in
favour of Sir Joseph’s motion, and seventeen
against it.

The meeting was described as a stormy one.
Sir Joseph was in a very aggressive mood. At
an early stage of the proceedings he, it was
alleged, told the members of the Jockey Club
some home-truths, which were so greatly resented
that a hostile vote became inevitable.

There was another meeting of the Jockey Club
a fortnight later, and thereat the Committee of
Inquiry asked for by Admiral Rous was consti-
tuted. The Admiral and Sir Joseph served on
the committee, whose report was issued at the
end of June. The document embodied some of
Sir Joseph’s ideas in a modified form. For
instance, the committee stated that they attached
“very great importance to a complete cessation
of racing for a period of at least four consecu-
tive months in the year.” Further, they had
“observed with regret that Selling Stakes no
longer effect the object for which they were
established, and that horses are frequently
entered to be sold for sums far below their real
value.” |

The most important portion of the report
was, however, that relating to the advisability or __
otherwise of placing restrictions on the racing
of two-year-olds. Before coming to a decision —

TURF REFORM 157

on this question the committee sought the
opinions of the leading trainers. The com-
mittee’s conclusions were thus expressed:

In their opinion the prohibition of two-year-old racing
would inflict on the Turf a fatal injury. The length of
time which must elapse before either pleasure or profit
could be derived from a horse which could not be run
before he was three years old, and then not till March 25,
would deter many from training, and still more from
breeding, thoroughbred stock. Our best stallions would
go abroad, as the limited demand for their services would
offer no inducement to owners to retain them in this
country compared with the prices to be obtained from
foreigners; our mares, such of them as did not also go
abroad, would of necessity be put to inferior stallions.
As fewer horses would be bred, the chance of breeding
really good stock would be diminished, and a serious
deterioration of our breed of horses would be the result.
Your committee had, therefore, no difficulty in arriv-
ing at a decision that two-year-old racing ought to be
permitted.

The report then went on to state that, with
regard to the date at which two-year-olds should
begin to race, the committee derived great
assistance from the information and opinions
given them by the most experienced trainers.
In my reply to the circular, I stated that I should
prefer to take up and break yearlings in Septem-
ber, keep them in gentle work, and train to
“try” the following September. Answering
the question, “ At what time of the year could

158 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

you run two-year-olds without, in your opinion,
injuring their growth or future prospects?” I
wrote:

It would depend upon the class of animal. If small or
set horses, in May; but if large or gross horses, not
before September. I consider May quite early enough.
To run them before that time would compel you to have
them fit to try before Christmas; you are liable to so
many checks from frost during the months of January,
February, and March. And then, again, the ground as
a rule is very heavy after the breaking up of frost, and I
consider galloping young horses on heavy ground most
injurious.

In reply to further questions, I expressed the
opinion that in the spring and summer months
an early foal had, when running as a two-year-
old, a great advantage over a May foal, but not
so much advantage in the autumn. “ No,” was
my answer to the question, “ With respect to
three-year-old races, do you consider that an
early foal has a great advantage over a May
foal?” I replied “ Certainly not” to the query,
“Do you consider that a colt that has run fre-
quently at two and three years old is as likely to
improve in proportion to his age as a horse that
has not run often when young?”

The committee, however, came to the conclu-
sion that the balance of evidence justified the

insertion of the following paragraph in their

report:

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TURF REFORM 159

From the great majority of the replies it would appear
that were the date at which two-year-olds might first
run fixed at a later period than at present it would make
little difference in the work they would have to undergo,
and that, except in the case of large horses, running them
in moderation after May 1 is not likely to prove in
any way prejudicial. Your committee, therefore, do
not consider that any case is made out to warrant the
alteration of the rule made last year which permits two-
year-olds to run on the 1st of May.

A series of resolutions based on the findings
of the committee was submitted to a General
Meeting of the Jockey Club in July. When
that relative to the racing of two-year-olds came
under consideration, Sir Joseph Hawley moved,
and Mr. Chaplin seconded, an amendment
providing “that the 1st of July be substituted
for the 1st of May as the earliest date at which
two-year-olds may run.’ ‘This proposal was,
however, defeated by twenty-eight votes to ten,
and so Sir Joseph had to retire from the combat
discomfited.

All the time I knew him Sir Joseph Hawley
was strongly opposed to the racing of two-year-
olds early in the season; and he practised what
he preached, for he seldom produced one before
Ascot. Blue Gown was one of the very few
youngsters allowed to run in the spring, but he
was an altogether exceptional horse and always
ready to run. Sir Joseph’s policy was in no

160 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

way influenced by the fact that the Kingsclere
Downs did not lend themselves to thorough
training operations early in the year. After frost
and the ensuing thaw the gallops became rotten.
This state of things resulted in our horses being
more backward than those quartered elsewhere.
We never attempted to train or try yearlings

before Christmas, as many stables did, but waited _
till the spring before we began operations. It —
followed, therefore, that our two-year-olds were b!

seldom ready to race before June.

The French plan of prohibiting early two- —
year-old racing is one of which I entirely approve. —
An examination of the French Racing Calendars —
shows that there are more matured horses running
in France than there are here. I do not go so ~
far as to say I would advocate the prohibition of ~
two-year-old racing until July or August, but I
certainly think we ought to have none before —
June 1, or, say, the Epsom Summer Meeting.
If, however, there must be two-year-old races
before that date, they should be selling events
only until June 1. We should then see very ~
few juveniles unduly forced, because if they ran
in selling races they would be liable to be claimed. _
On the other hand the selling races would give
owners of little squabby things they have been
at the expense and trouble of rearing a chance _
of getting their money back, or of getting rid ©

of useless stock. Selling races were not meant —

TURF REFORM 161

for horses which, entered to be sold for £50,
fetch a thousand or more when sold by auction.

In October 1873 there was a somewhat
amazing sequel to the legislative enactment of
1869, and the co-relative discussion of 1870.
At a meeting of the Jockey Club held during the
progress of the Houghton Meeting, Mr. Caledon
Alexander moved:

That that part of Rule 15 which prohibits two-year-
olds running until the 1st of May be rescinded, and that
two-year-olds be allowed to run at and after the first
legitimate meeting of the season.

Mr. Stirling Crawfurd seconded the motion,
and Mr. George Payne presented a memorial in
its favour. Mr. Chaplin and General Peel
advocated the retention of the rule unaltered,
but, on a division, the change was agreed to by
sixteen votes to fourteen. So the restriction
brought about by Sir Joseph Hawley’s advocacy
was in force four years only. ‘The vacillation of
the Jockey Club revealed by this volte-face gave
rise to much criticism. It was very properly
argued that the rule passed in 1869 had not been
long enough in operation to enable its value to
be ascertained. The idea prevailed that the
reversion to the status quo ante was the result
of pressure exercised on behalf of meetings
held in the spring at Lincoln and Northampton.
Admiral Rous voted in favour of the motion. Sir

M

162 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Joseph Hawley’s name is not mentioned in the _

report of the proceedings. He was probably

too ill to attend, but it must have been very 1
galling to him when he learned that the members

of the Club had so speedily stultified themselves.

And now we have reached the stage at which : ,

we must “close the book” so far as Sir Joseph

Hawley is concerned. Owing to his ill-health ~

the “ stable ’’ was in 1871 reduced to very small

dimensions, and the following year his connection — :
with the Turf practically ceased. The few {
winners we sent forth from Kingsclere at this —

period were of little consequence, and it is not

worth while to dwell on their performances. In —
1873 nearly all Sir Joseph’s horses in training, _
brood mares, yearlings and foals, were sold by ~
auction. He seems to have realised, as did his
friends, that his life was ebbing fast. I well ~
remember the last visit he paid to Kingsclere.
My instinct told me that we should never see
him there again. After he had gone I found on _
the mantelpiece the stump of the cigar he was
smoking just before he left the house. I put it
carefully away, and have it to this day. It was
a somewhat curious habit of his never to take a
cigar he was smoking out of the house, ora rail- _
way compartment, or a brougham, or from one
room to another. Even if he had lit it only —
five minutes before he had to move he would —
throw it away and take another one out of his

a

a 4
pat Fg es, eee a hg
te = = AS
= = hr at

See

TURF REFORM 163

case. I never knew him to depart from that
somewhat eccentric rule.

Sir Joseph died in the spring of 1875, and his
body was buried at Leybourne. At the funeral
I felt I was bidding good-bye to a really great
man, and to a man who had been a noble friend
to me and my family. His long illness had, in
a measure, softened the blow his death caused;
nevertheless, it was hard and painful to realise
we should see him no more. The Turf in my
time has had few supporters who can be compared
with Sir Joseph. He always had the highest
interests of racing at heart. There were occa-
sions when his aims and methods were mis-
understood; but those who, at such _ times,
became his critics were equally ready to forgive
and forget, conscious as they were that he was
actuated by principles he believed to be right
and just. ‘Cherry and black’’ were colours
the public regarded with something like affection.
If they did not always appreciate the motives
which led Sir Joseph to arrange his plans in a
way that upset their calculations, they knew the
horses he raced were running to win if they could.
The straightforward course he pursued with Blue
Gown in the Derby was typical of his regard for
the interests of the multitude.

Sir Joseph had a strong will and great deter-
mination. He would never suffer any liberties
to be taken with him. At meetings of the

1644 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Jockey Club, or elsewhere, he was always the
same—stern, straight and fearless. It was per-
haps given to few to see the more tender side
of his nature. That this softer trait was not
wanting I have been able to indicate. Whenever
he came to Park House his first concern was not
the condition of his- horses, but the welfare of
my wife and children. His solicitude regarding
them was displayed in many little ways. As for
his generosity, it was unbounded. He was a
man of vast learning, but with it all a man of
the world who, while resolute in maintaining his
own rights, was not unmindful of the rights of
others.

As a breeder he was extraordinarily successful.
Possessing only a small stud, it was remarkable
how, year after year, he sent good horses into
training. This was due, no doubt, to the skill
with which he mated his mares. Though he
kept stallions of his own, he studiously refrained
from using them when he thought his mares
would be better suited elsewhere. In short, it
may properly be said of him that he brought
practical common-sense and a shrewd business
acumen to bear on all his transactions. If he
was famous as a heavy bettor at a time when heavy
betting was rampant, it was not the mere greed
of gain that inspired his gambling. He held,
with Lord George Bentinck, that money was the

guerdon of success on the Turf. If we apply \

a

4 |
ey

TURF REFORM 165

that severe test to Sir Joseph’s operations it is
to find that he was successful beyond most of
his contemporaries, and it is to me a satisfying
reflection that many of his greatest triumphs were
associated with Kingsclere.

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY

Wirn the single exception of Xi, who, as I
explained, was partly owned by Sir Frederick
Johnstone, all the horses I saddled to win races
from the time I went to Cannon Heath in 1863
until 1873 were owned by Sir Joseph Hawley.
In 1868 I had received a couple of yearlings
owned by Lord Derby, ‘‘ the Rupert of Debate,”
but I soon found they were worthless, and they
remained at Kingsclere a few weeks only. An
important change in the personnel of the stable
took place, however, in 1873. So few of our
boxes were occupied by Leybourne-bred horses
that it was now arranged I should take charge
of some animals belonging to Mr. Frederick
Gretton and Mr. Thomas Eades Walker. Mr.
Gretton was one of the partners in Bass’s brewery,
and had previously been a patron of Matt Daw-
son’s stable at Newmarket. Mr. Walker, de-
scended from a wealthy London merchant who
settled in Warwickshire early in the seventeenth
century, had hitherto raced under the manage-

ment of Captain Machell. Sir George Chetwynd
166

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 167

relates that the day Mr. Walker came of age he
received from his father a diamond and sapphire
ring. He had expected something more sub-
stantial, and his face betrayed his disappointment.
“Look inside,” said his father. The young
man did so, and found engraved on the ring
“Studley Castle.”’ The estate thus given him
is in Warwickshire. It had been bought by
Mr. Walker senior from Sir Harry Goodricke,
brother-in-law of Mr. George Payne.

Welcome as the support of these two gentle-
men was, it did not unfortunately amount to
very much, and the Kingsclere stable was for
two or three years in somewhat shallow water.
Mr. Walker had winners in Victor, Tapioca,
Morton Bagot, First Water, Bank Note and
Novar; and Mr. Gretton was successful with
Gourbi, Little Boy Blue, and Grand Duchess.

This brings us to the year 1875, when, avail-
ing myself of the option so generously given me
by Sir Joseph Hawley’s will, I became the owner
of Park House and the land immediately sur-
rounding it. Henceforth I was a public trainer.
At the close of the season 1874 Mr. Walker
disposed of his horses and had no more till
1879, when, in a small way, he renewed. his
association with the Kingsclere stable. In 1876
I had under my care a couple of horses belonging
to Mr. John Gretton, a brother of Frederick,
but neither of them won. Practically, therefore,

168 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

I was from 1875 to 1878 dependent for any
success that came my way upon horses owned
by Mr. Fred Gretton, who, after the temporary
retirement of Mr. Walker, considerably enlarged
his racing stud. Of the many animals that
carried Mr. Gretton’s “orange jacket, purple
belt and cap,” the most noteworthy were Pageant
and Isonomy. ‘They were two of the few good
horses I trained not bred by my patrons. Others
bought were Fernandez, Paradox, Sainfoin, Metal
(who won the Viceroy’s Cup at Calcutta) and La
Filéche.

By Elland out of Panoply, daughter of Para-
digm, Pageant was bred in 1871 by General
Pearson, whose colours he carried as a two-year-
old. Towards the end of that season, during
which he won a couple of races, he became the
property of Mr. G. Angell, who had him cut.
Early the following year he passed to Mr. G.
Masterman, who won a small race with him at
Croydon. In June, when James Nightingall
was his owner, Pageant won a selling race at
Hampton, and was bought by Mr. Gomm for
380 guineas. In August, at Lewes, he won a

ten-furlong race called the Eccentric Free Handi- ©

cap. This event was for horses supposed to be
mere sprinters. Pageant beat his opponents in
a canter and thus revealed a hitherto unsuspected

staying power. Mr. Gomm took advantage of

the knowledge thus gained, and won other ten-

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY _ 169

furlong races with Pageant in the autumn. At
the end of that season, 1874, without saying
anything to me, Mr. Gretton bought Pageant,
paying, I believe, £1000. Mr. Gretton was
under the impression he was buying a colt, and
was somewhat taken aback when, after the horse
had reached Kingsclere, he found he had got a
gelding, and one, moreover, blind of an eye.
Time proved, however, that he had unwittingly
secured a great bargain. We did not race
Pageant until the autumn of 1875, but mean-
while discovered that he was endowed with
even more stamina than his previous owners
had given him credit for. He was, in fact, a
splendid stayer.

It was in the Cesarewitch (24 miles) that he
first ran in Mr. Gretton’s name. The favourite
was Prince Soltykoff’s Duke of Parma, who,
handicapped at 5 st. 11 lb., carried 6 st. Pageant
and Peeping Tom were equal second favourites.
Our horse, carrying 7 st. 11 lb., finished second,
beaten three lengths by Duke of Parma. The
latter had, in the spring, won a six-furlong
handicap at Newmarket. At Yarmouth, at the
end of August, he started favourite in a five-
furlong handicap, but, in the presence of his
owner and Admiral Rous, who both backed him,
was beaten into third place. A fortnight before
the Cesarewitch he was “ down the course”’ in
the Great Eastern Railway Handicap, run over

170 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

six furlongs. Shortly after this latter failure,
Mr. Charles Brewer, acting for Prince Soltykoff
and his friends, took 10,000 to 1000 about Duke
of Parma for the Cesarewitch. The public,
following the lead thus given, proceeded to back
the horse freely, hence the short odds at which
he started. After he had won, some unkind
things were said about the Duke of Parma’s
previous form. “I myself,” writes Sir George
Chetwynd, “ heard some of these remarks made
in the card room at the Jockey Club rooms, but
I consider they were most uncalled for. In the
first place, running six furlongs is a very different
thing from the Cesarewitch course, particularly
if the horse is doing long work at exercise, which
would have the effect of lessening any speed he
might have ; and, secondly, because, early in the
year, he had won a little handicap by six lengths.”
All of which is, of course, quite true; but the
truth did not lessen our disappointment when we
saw Pageant beaten by a reputed sprinter. In
the Cambridgeshire, a fortnight later, Pageant
started second favourite, but ran unplaced to the
favourite, Mr. Mannington’s Sutton; and he
was also unplaced in the Liverpool Autumn
Cup, his only other race that season. As a
five-year-old Pageant finished fourth in the
Chester Cup won by Tam o’ Shanter, and second

ae ene

to The Snail in the Northumberland Plate; but —
these and other failures were partially redeemed _

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 17!

by three victories in the autumn—two at Lich-
field and one at Warwick.

The older he got, however, the better Pageant’s
form became. As a six-year-old, after a defeat
in the Northamptonshire Stakes, he won the
Chester Cup in a canter from Mr. A. Baltazzi’s
John Day and Lord Rosebery’s The Snail; and
another unsuccessful effort in the Cesarewitch
was followed by the capture of the Shrewsbury

Cup. The next year, 1878, with Tom Cannon,

and 8 st. 12 lb. in the saddle, he again won the
Chester Cup, for which he started favourite and
scored easily from Mr. Swindell’s Woodlands.
He was beaten in the Manchester Cup, ran

' second to the wonderful Kincsem in the Good-

wood Cup, and then won the Brighton and
Doncaster Cups. His only outing as an eight-
year-old was in the Alexandra Plate at Ascot,
for which he was unplaced to Insulaire. That
ended his racing career. He eventually became
totally blind, and was shot and buried at Kings-
clere. Pageant and Hampton were two of the
best stayers of their day, and both ran in selling
races |

In the summer of 1876 I went to the Yardley
Stud, near Birmingham, to see the yearlings the
Grahams were sending to Doncaster to be sold.
During my tour of the paddocks I was accom-
panied by the two brothers, George and Young,
and also by their sister, Miss Graham, who took

172 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

an active part in the management of the stud.

She was, as usual, wearing a short skirt and

leggings. The two brothers were corn merchants
in Birmingham, and acted as agents for Messrs.
Bass in the purchase of barley in their locality.
I saw about twenty yearlings in one paddock we
entered, and after looking them over, was par-
ticularly impressed by the smallest of them all, a
bay colt by Sterling out of Isola Bella. His size
was partly accounted for by his being a May foal.
And here let me state that I have never known
or heard of a May foal that became a roarer.

The Grahams made the colts gallop round
the paddock by rattling sticks in their hats, and I

noticed the little fellow to whom I had taken a_
fancy threading his way through the others as —
if determined to get to the front. There and then —
I made up my mind I would buy him at Doncaster.

While we were returning to Birmingham the
question of a suitable name for the youngster
was discussed. When we reached the Grahams’
house a dictionary was consulted. In it we found ©
the name Isonomy, which means “an equal
distribution of rights and privileges.” That, we

ace a pe pe

ASRS ES

i

thought, exactly fitted the colt, for he had given :
us the i impression that, small though he was, he
felt he was quite equal to the others and entitled ©

to the same respect.

In due course Isonomy went to Doncaster
and was bought on behalf of Mr. Gretton for

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 173

360 guineas. He was always on the small side;
while in training he did not measure more than
15.2. He, however, gave one the impression
he considered himself a deal bigger than he was.
Resolution and grit were conspicuous traits in his
character, and he had a very hardy constitution.
We did not race Isonomy until August of
the following year, his first outing being in the

_ Brighton Club Two-year-old Stakes, for which

he started second favourite. He was a poor
third. At Newmarket, in October, ridden by
Charles Wood, he won a Nursery over the last
half of the Rowley Mile, and a month later was
beaten a head in a similar race over the same
course. It has often been said that it is a pity
Isonomy was not given the chance of winning
the Derby. He was entered both for that event
and the St. Leger, but Mr. Gretton decided to
keep him off the racecourse till the autumn of
that year.

The Cambridgeshire was, in fact, Isonomy’s
only race as a three-year-old. If I remember
rightly, Mr. Gretton’s policy was dictated by the
idea that it was wisest to allow the colt to take
matters easily so that he might have every
possible chance to grow and develop. Though
the Cambridgeshire was not run until the Hough-
ton Meeting at the end of October, we took
Isonomy to Newmarket along with the horses
we were racing at the first October gathering, a

174 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE
month earlier. At the Second October Meeting

Mr. Gretton’s colt Antient Pistol, receiving —

21 lb. for a year, ran a dead-heat in a welter
handicap over the Ditch Mile with Count
Festetics’ Aventurier. He had won three other
races earlier in the season. A day or two after
the dead-heat had been run we tried BRE
as follows :

Cambridgeshire Course
Antient Pistol, 3 yrs., 6st. 7 1b. . i Graves 1
Isonomy, 3 yrs., 8 st. 5 lb. . . . Fordham 2
Harbinger, 4 yrs., 8 st. 9 Ib. , . T. Cannon 3
Singleton, 3 yrs., 7 st. . , , . Huxtable 4

Won by a neck; six lengths between second and
third ; two lengths between third and fourth.

Harbinger, in June, won a mile race at Man-

chester; the week of the trial he started second

favourite for the Cesarewitch, carrying 7 st., but
was unplaced. Singleton was a winner of four
races that season prior to the trial. The “ tackle,”
therefore, was fairly good, but unfortunately the
test was almost abortive. Mr. Gretton and I
drove to the stand on the Rowley Mile to see the

jockeys weighed out, and on our way thither §:

kept our eyes on the trial ground to see that all
was clear. Everything being in readiness, we

drove back to the Portland Stand (no longer in if

existence), where the gallop was to finish. _ Before

reaching our “ observation post’ we found, to q
our dismay, that while we were down at the —

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 175

Rowley Mile Stand two rows of “dolls” had
been placed across the course. We stopped the
trap, ran across the Heath, and just had time to
remove the centre “ dolls ”’ in the lower row before
our horses raced up. The jockeys had, as it
happened, seen the barriers in their path, and
were already easing their horses, so no harm
resulted, except that we were left in a state of
perplexity concerning the merits of Isonomy.

Several people saw the trial, and it was quickly
noised abroad that Isonomy had been beaten.
The public, therefore, had no inducement to
back him. Mr. Gretton, who betted pretty
freely, already stood to win £40,000 on his horse.
If the trial had not been interfered with he would
doubtless have increased his commitments; in
the circumstances he decided to let matters stand
as they were. Isonomy carried 7 st. 1 lb. in the
Cambridgeshire, started with odds of 40 to 1 laid
against him, and won easily by two lengths from
Lord Rosebery’s Touchet, with the latter’s stable
companion, Robert Peck’s La Merveille, third,
only a head behind. Lord Ellesmere’s Hampton,
9 st. 3 lb., finished fourth. There were thirty-
eight runners in that Cambridgeshire, and so
readily did Isonomy beat this huge field that I
firmly believe he could have carried 9 st. and
still have won.

We were now reaping the fruit resulting
from the patient policy pursued with Isonomy.

176 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE
Though he had not grown in height, he had

acquired strength, and with it increased racing
ability. My experience convinces me that a
vast number of horses are ruined by being unduly
forced as two-year-olds, and sometimes as three-
year-olds. It is foolish to imagine that because
some horses take no harm when frequently raced
while. their powers are maturing, others can,
with impunity, be treated in the same way.
Every horse is a law unto himself. His charac-
teristics must be carefully studied, and the
trainer, having made up his mind as to the best
course to pursue, fails in his duty if he does not
advise the owner to act in accordance with his
conclusions. ‘The temptation to exploit a two-
year-old for the mere sake of obtaining a quick
return is a baneful one, and more often than not
owners who give way to it are blameworthy.
Isonomy, as a four-year-old, won six of the
eight races in which he ran. His record that
season began and ended with a defeat. In the
Newmarket Handicap, at the Craven Meeting,
he failed by a length and a half to give two years
and 8 lb. to Mr. Lorillard’s Parole over the last
twelve furlongs of the Beacon Course; in the
Cesarewitch, handicapped at 9 st. to lb., he was
badly bumped by our own horse Westbourne,

in the Dip, a furlong from home. But for this —

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finished first or second.

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 177

The defeat of Isonomy in the Newmarket
Handicap caused quite a sensation ; perhaps it
would be more correct to say the victory of Parole
did. The winner, owned by the American
tobacco magnate Mr. P. Lorillard, had come
across the Atlantic the previous autumn, bringing
with him something of a reputation. A gelding
by Leamington out of a Lexington mare, he was
six years old when he met Isonomy. It was
his first race in England. Isonomy was giving
Parole two years and 8 lb., but started favourite
at 7 to 4. Against the American horse odds of
I0oo to 15 were laid. The latter was said to
have been well tried “‘ against the clock ” in the
approved Yankee fashion, and he beat Isonomy
alength and a half. The public at once jumped
to the conclusion that Parole would win the City
and Suburban the following week, for, including
a § lb. penalty, his weight was only 8 st. 7 Ib,
And the public were right; Parole not only won
the City and Suburban, but also the Great Metro-
politan with a 10 lb. penalty. So great a cer-
tainty was he for the latter that only one horse
opposed him. Shortly afterwards Parole started
an odds-on favourite for the Chester Cup, but in
that race was fourth only. After the Newmarket
Handicap there was some talk of Isonomy and
Parole being matched to run a mile and a half
at level weights for £5000, but nothing came of

the suggestion.
N

178 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

With regard to the Cesarewitch, Mr. Gretton,
I believe, backed Westbourne to win only and
Isonomy merely to get a “ place.”’ It was said
that he stood to clear £50,000 over Westbourne.
When Isonomy received the bump from West-
bourne which nearly knocked him over, he was
_ making a splendid effort to catch Chippendale,
who had taken up the running at the Bushes, two
furlongs from home. Chippendale won by a
length and a half from Westbourne, and it is my
firm belief that, with a clear run, Isonomy would
have beaten him. Our two horses were running
on their merits. Westbourne was third favourite —
at 100 to 15, but backers of Isonomy got 66 to 1,

After the Cesarewitch, Westbourne at once
became a public fancy for the Cambridgeshire.
He was, however, scratched because Mr. Gretton
could not get what he considered fair odds to the
money he wished to put on. This action caused
ararehubbub. Mr. Gretton retaliated by stating —
that he would win the Cambridgeshire with ©
Harbinger, a five-year-old by Pero Gomez. We —
also had the three-year-old Falmouth in the race. ©
As a matter of fact, Harbinger was no longer —
at Kingsclere ; he had gone to his owner’s place
and was being looked after by a groom. In the
circumstances the public laughed at Mr. Gretton’s
brag, and backed Falmouth, who had started at

14 to I for the Derby that year, and not run since.

While under my care Harbinger had shown

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY _ 179

some pretty good form. As a three-year-old

_he won the Brighton Stakes and a handicap at

Lewes, and ran second both for the Esher Stakes
at Sandown Park and the Chesterfield Cup at
Goodwood. The next year he won the De
Trafford Cup at Manchester. In the season
with which we are now dealing, he started favourite

_for the Manchester Cup and finished fourth, ran

second in the Salford Borough Handicap, third
in the Royal Hunt Cup, and second in the Ascot
Plate. He actually ran in the Cambridgeshire,
but was a forlorn outsider, whereas Falmouth
was the third favourite. They were both un-
placed.

Between the two defeats with which we have
been dealing Isonomy won the following six
races :

The Gotp Vasz (2 miles) at Ascot, beating Silvio (giving
7 lb.) half a length.

The Gotp Cup (24 miles) at Ascot, beating Insulaire two
lengths, with Touchet, Jannette, Exmouth, and Verneuil behind.

The Goopwoop Cup (24 miles), beating The Bear three
lengths, with Parole (received 12 lb.), Touchet (received 3 Ib.),

| and two others behind.

The Bricuton Cup (2 miles), beating three opponents.

The Great Ezor Hanpicap (2 miles), carrying 9 st. 8 Ib.
(including a 5 lb. penalty) and giving from 31 lb. to 56 Ib. to
his four opponents, and with 11 to 8 betted on him. This was

_ @ great performance, a portion of the course being under water

and the going terribly heavy.
The Doncaster Cup (2 miles 5 furlongs), beating Jannette
by a head, with two others a long way behind.

180 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

This was a splendid record, one which fully
explains the exalted estimate of Isonomy’s merits
taken by the compiler of the Cesarewitch Handi- —

cap. A word may be added with regard to the ©

Brighton Cup. Mr. Gretton had a horse called —
Monk entered, as well as Isonomy. Monk was ©
sent to make running for his stable companion. ~
The conditions of the race stipulated that four ©
horses, belonging to different owners, must compete. —
As the time for the contest drew near we dis- —
covered that, in addition to our two, the only —
arrivals were Sir John Astley’s Drumhead and —
Tom Jennings’s Paul Cray. The difficulty thus
created was solved by Mr. Gretton selling Monk
to me for £200, and he ran in my name. _ I did —

very well with the horse. That year he won me

three races worth £454, and another of £102 ©
in 1880, when I sold him. He was the first —
winner to carry my colours—“ cherry, black belt —
and cap ’—a variant of those registered by Sir —
Joseph Hawley. In 1877 Monk, then a three-—
year-old, started second favourite for the Stewards’
Cup at Goodwood. We tried him a few days —
previously, and he just failed to do what we asked —
of him. The gallop finished on some rising
ground, and Mr. Gretton, who was present, —
concluded that this was the hindrance to Monk.

“The easy course at Goodwood will just suit —
him,” he said. I, however, assured him I gener-
ally found the form shown in our home trials

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 181

worked out correctly. It did so in this case.
Monk had won the Stewards’ Cup at the end of
five furlongs, but Sir W. Throckmorton’s Herald
beat him at the finish. |

As a five-year-old, in 1880, Isonomy rounded
off his career on the Turf by winning the Man-
chester Cup and the Ascot Cup, the only races
he ran that season. The Manchester Cup was
a handicap of £2000, decided over a mile and
five furlongs, and Isonomy was called upon to
carry the enormous burden of 9 st. 12 Ib., a weight
which is easily a “‘ record ’’ for that event. Ridden
by Tom Cannon, he beat, by a neck, Mr. R. C.
Naylor’s three-year-old The Abbot, to whom he
gave 45 lb. The public’s estimate of Isonomy’s
chance may be gauged from the fact that odds
of 16 to 1 were laid against him. When he
passed the post at the head of the field, winners
and losers united in raising a great volume of
cheers, and seldom, surely, has a horse been
more deserving of the plaudits of a racecourse
crowd. It was a magnificent achievement.

Mr. Gretton was a big winner over Isonomy
that day, but he nearly lost his trainer. The day
before the race he asked me to inform Tom
Cannon that he was “on” £1000 to nothing.
No hint was given that I was to receive anything.
Although I had saddled many good winners for
Mr. Gretton I had received nothing from him—
not even a “ thank you.’”’ Apparently I was once

182 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

more to be left unrewarded, and I felt very upset
by this indifference to my services. After turning
things over in my mind, I went to Mr. Gretton’s
factotum, John Princep, and told him of Tom
Cannon’s prospective reward. Then I added,
“You can tell Mr. Gretton that if I am not
treated the same as Tom Cannon he can take his
horses away from Kingsclere on Monday. I am
sick of seeing the jockey get everything and the
trainer nothing.” When the race was over, and
having heard nothing, I saw Princep again and
told him I was going to call on Mr. Gretton at
his hotel the following morning. I duly called
at the hotel, to find Mr. Gretton still in bed. I
therefore went upstairs and knocked smartly on
his door. ‘‘ Come in,” said Mr. Gretton. As
I entered, he swung his legs off the bed, and before
I had time to utter a word he exclaimed, “‘ Mind,
you are on the same as Cannon.’”’ And so he
dissolved my wrath.

I have always maintained that it is grossly
unfair of owners to treat their jockeys more
liberally than they do their trainers. For
months before a big race the trainer is in a per-
petual state of anxiety, and if he is able to present
the horse at the post thoroughly fit the credit
for the success which follows belongs mainly

OR BET TB ih IA MEE Mp ts 5 Sy he

to him. The jockey can, and often does, undo —
in a minute the work of many weeks. I have —
nothing to say against the jockey being suitably —

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 183

rewarded, but the presents given are often
beyond all reason, and cause a lot of mischief.
It would, in my opinion, be far better for every-
body concerned if there were a recognised and
rigid scale of rewards both for jockeys and
trainers. Some owners, I believe, make a prac-
tice of giving the trainer 10 per cent of the
winnings. That is a liberal allowance. I think
that if both the trainer and jockey received
§ per cent of the stakes won they would be
fairly rewarded, and no present beyond that
would be necessary. I can only say I wish I
had been working under this arrangement
during the time I was training. The value of
the stakes won by horses I trained exceeded
£700,000, and § per cent of that sum would
have provided me with a comfortable fortune.
If I had been dependent, after my retirement,
on the money I made by training horses I should
have found myself a comparatively poor man.
When he distributes largesse, an owner’s first
thought should be for his trainer, whereas it
is almost invariably for the jockey. Hundreds
of times an owner has come to me after we have
won a race and asked, ‘‘ What ought I to give
the jockey?” It would rejoice me to know
that I have been able to influence owners to
think first of the claim of their trainers to suitable
recognition. I have mentioned that the retainer

Sir Joseph Hawley paid to Wells for the first

184 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

call on his services was £100 a year. Retainers
ten, and even twenty, times as big are paid
jockeys to-day. The agreement I made with
Sir Joseph when I became his private trainer
provided that I was to receive a salary of £100
per annum and a house. Before long the salary
was raised, and of course I received handsome
presents when we won a big race. It will
therefore be gathered that in the middle of last
century a trainer’s lines were not always cast
in profitable places. We had to work hard—
much harder, I often think, than the modern
trainer—for very little money. At any rate,
the assured income was modest enough, especi-
ally when there was a wife and family to provide
for.

Though the ground at Manchester was as
hard as iron, Isonomy was none the worse for
his effort there, and was “as fit as a fiddle”’
when he essayed the task of winning the Ascot
Cup a second time. His opponents were
Chippendale and Zut. The latter represented
Count de Lagrange instead of Rayon d’Or,
the winner of the St. Leger the previous year.
The hopelessness of opposing Isonomy was
evidently realised by Tom Jennings, who trained

for the Count, and so Rayon d’Or was reserved

for the Rous Memorial, decided an hour later,
a race he duly won. In the contest for the
Cup, Chippendale was allowed to make the

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 185

running until inside the distance, but when
given his head, Isonomy, on whom odds of
9 to 4 were laid, went to the front to win very
comfortably.

The following year, 1881, Isonomy began
his stud career at the Bonehill Paddocks, Tam-
worth, a fee of 50 guineas being charged for
his services. A horse of his class begins nowa-
days at 300 guineas. He had won ten of his
fourteen races, and been placed second twice
and third once. The stakes he won amounted
to £10,382. There were seven living foals
resulting from his first season. It so happened
that none of them won as a two-year-old in 1884,
though Isobar scored pretty well afterwards.
Not until 1887 did the son of Sterling establish
his fame as a sire. ‘That was the year Gallinule
ran as a two-year-old. The following season
came Satiety and Seabreeze ; then, in succession,
Riviera, Janissary, Common, Le Var, Prisoner,
and finally Ravensbury and Isinglass.

Isonomy’s offspring were racing during four-
teen seasons, and in that period they won 254
races worth £205,032.

Isonomy had only been two years at the stud
when Mr. Fred Gretton died. Sent by the
executors to Tattersall’s to be sold on New
Year’s Day, 1883, he was bought by Mr. Stirling
Crawfurd (the husband of the Duchess of
Montrose) for g000 guineas, and was then

186 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

transferred to the Bedford Lodge Stud at New-
market, his fee being raised to 70 guineas. ~
Presently he was moved to the Sefton Stud Farm, _
also at Newmarket. In 1889 his fee had gone ~
up to £200, and he was advertised full for two _
years ahead. Sometime in 1884 the Duchess —
of Montrose asked the late Mr. Edmund Tatter-
sall if he could find a buyer for Isonomy, as
she was tired of the horse. Mr. Tattersall 3
strongly advised her not to be in a hurry to part
with him, and the wisdom of this counsel was _
proved within the next twelve months. Isonomy ‘
died of heart disease in 1891, the year after —
Isinglass and Ravensbury were born. ¥

Isonomy was one of the foals got by Sterling —
in his first season, and the only one of that sire’s
stock to win as a two-year-old in 1877, though ~
there were fifteen others. Asa matter of fact, only ui
three of the sixteen ever won—Isonomy, Light-
house, and Sterlingworth. Isonomy’s achieve-
ments sent Sterling’s fee up from 100 to Ifo yy
guineas. It is, perhaps, worth noting that Isola
Bella, the dam of Isonomy and Fernandez, —
was absolutely worthless as a racer. She was
bred at Hooton by Mr. R. C. Naylor, whose ) f
colours she carried five times without once getting 4
placed. In many works of reference Isola Bella
is described as a bay ; in reality she was a chest- \
nut. Four of her seven foals were chestnuts,
but Isonomy and Fernandez, the only two of —

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 187

any account, were both bays. Here is a summary
of Isonomy’s record as a sire of winners :

Races Won. Value. Races Won. Value.
1884 . pic ae i 1892. Wr By Et ao
1885. ot EPA BOs T1869. es 26,410
1886. 286 4,638 | 1894. Nae 42,056
1887 . - 39 «17,886 | 1895. rae 4 20,342
1888 . . 28 26,837 | 1896. SN 2,4.58
1889. » 30 (20,841 | 1897 . eee 283
1890 . AG 9,636 a
1891. ae Pave Totals . 254 £205,032

In due course some of Isonomy’s offspring
came to Kingsclere to be trained, and most of
them were endowed with pluck and determina-
tion, qualities which were so conspicuous in their
sire. He was unquestionably one of the best
horses I have ever known. I thought the
world of him, and his achievements as a sire
strengthened my regard and admiration.

In 1878 Fernandez, a brother to Isonomy,
was one of the Yardley yearlings, and Mr. Fred
Gretton bought him. He was a bay, but not a
whole bay like Isonomy. Built on bigger lines
than the latter, he was another “ good one.” A
grand type of horse in every way, he was particu-
larly powerful across the loins. He came slowly
to hand and was unplaced in both the races
he ran as a two-year-old. The following spring
he won, to the surprise of most people, the
Craven Stakes at Newmarket. Paddock critics

188 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

declared him too “ big,” and odds of 15 to 1
were laid against him. He was however in
much better condition than his appearance
showed, and beat the favourite, Lord Falmouth’s
Merry-go-Round, a length and a half. A fort-
night later we started both Fernandez and
Mariner (another son of Sterling) for the Two
Thousand Guineas. Mr. Gretton “ declared ”
in favour of Mariner, but both ran unplaced.
Fernandez’s next outing was in the St. James’s
Palace Stakes at Ascot. I had no idea Mr.
Gretton intended to run his horse that week,
and he was not in racing trim. However, despite
my expostulations, Mr. Gretton insisted that
Fernandez should take his chance, and I was
astounded when I saw him run the Derby winner,
Bend Or, to a head at level weights. Those
who had laid odds of 100 to 30 on Bend Or
got a rare fright.

Fernandez was then put by for the Cambridge-
shire. For that race he was handicapped at
8 st. 1 lb.; nevertheless, he started favourite
atgto2. Fordham rode him.

This autumn (writes Sir John Astley) I went for a big
Stake on the Cambridgeshire, having got it into my head
Fernandez was real good goods. . . . I never shall forget
Gretton taking me into Fernandez’s box the evening
before the race. He had done himself a little extra well
(as was not his unfrequent habit); and when I said I had
never seen a horse look better, and that I considered the

* ER FES i Ee IE a as Pp oer tied ot aon

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY _ 189

race as good as over, he replied, “ Yes, that’s all very well,
but he has got at least ten pounds more on him than he
would have had if Tom Cannon had not gone and run
Bend Or to a head at Ascot. Whatever did he want
to beat the Derby winner for? I told him the horse
wasn’t fit, and that I wanted to win the Cambridgeshire
with him.” . . . And when I left him he (Gretton) was

still bemoaning his jockey’s uprightness over a glass of
Scotch.

Fernandez was beaten half a length in the
Cambridgeshire by Prince Soltykoff’s Lucetta,
a four-year-old to whom he was giving a stone.
He had practically won the race when Lucetta
swerved across the course on to him, and, to
avoid knocking the mare over, Fordham had to
check his horse. Immediately on returning
to the Weighing- Room Fordham lodged an
objection to Lucetta. Everybody assumed the
Stewards would disqualify the winner; odds
of 2 and 3 to 1 were laid on Fernandez getting
the race. The inquiry into the affair was a
most protracted one, and it was late in the
evening before a decision was given. I was
called as a witness, and ventured to express the
Opinion that whether Fernandez got the race
or not he most certainly ought to. I was politely
informed that that “‘ was not evidence.’’ While
the inquiry was in progress I overheard a remark
which forced me to believe the verdict would
be against Fernandez. I reported this to Mr.

190 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Gretton and advised him to hedge his bets. He,
however, refused to do so. The case against
Lucetta was, he said, so strong that she must
be disqualified. The Stewards, however, finally
overruled the objection. The only explanation
ever given for this unlooked-for, and, I venture
to say, unjust, decision, is to be found in the
Reminiscences of Sir George Chetwynd, who was
one of the officiating Stewards. ‘“‘ Although,”
he writes, ‘“‘she (Lucetta) had undoubtedly
crossed Fernandez, it was a long way from home,
and we thought Fordham had rather anticipated
the swerving across him, and checked his horse
so soon that there was plenty of time for him
to have won his race afterwards if the horse had
been good enough.”’ It seems to me Sir George
would have done well to act in accordance with
the maxim that cautions a judge never to give a
reason for his verdict. A more inconsequential
argument than that he advances it would be diffi-
cult to conceive. Mr. Gretton naturally enter-
tained a grievance against the Stewards, and few
blamed him for so doing.

Mr. Gretton, however, seemed fated to be
n “hot water.” Before we had time to get
over the annoyance caused by the result of the
Cambridgeshire inquiry a more serious un-

pleasantness occurred in connection with the

Liverpool Autumn Cup. Mr. Gretton had two
horses in that event—Fernandez and Prestonpans.

2h)

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY i191

The latter was a bay colt, three years old in 1880,
by that remarkable horse Prince Charlie. The
previous season, when the property of Lord
Anglesey, Prestonpans showed some very useful
form; so useful, indeed, that in the Royal
Hunt Cup—his first race as a three-year-old, and
the first in which he carried Mr. Gretton’s
colours—he was weighted 7 st. 10 lb. He
ran “unplaced.”’ His next race was the Liver-
pool Cup. Until almost the last moment I
did not know whether I was to saddle Preston-
pans or Fernandez. Nor did Mr. Gretton. At
that time his betting interests were managed by
Mr. Fred Swindell—‘ Lord Freddy” as his in-
timates generally called him—and when I went
to Liverpool he had not heard which of the
two horses was carrying his money. The public
assumed we should rely on Fernandez. They
were wrong ; Swindell backed Prestonpans, and
Fernandez did not run. This policy infuriated
the general body of backers, and after Preston- |
pans, ridden by Fordham, had won by half a
length from Lord Drogheda’s Philammon, with
the Duke of Beaufort’s Petronel third, a neck
away, the crowd hooted and hissed viciously,
There was a further hostile demonstration in
the paddock while the horse passed through the
throng on his way to the unsaddling enclosure.

This was a new and altogether disagreeable
experience for me, and I need hardly say I left

192 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

very much upset. I at once decided it was time
Mr. Frederick Gretton and I parted company,
and I asked him to be good enough to remove ~
his horses from Kingsclere. Shortly afterwards —
I saw a string of the best-looking horses I had
ever had in my stable march out of my yard. ©
They went to old Alec Taylor. The yearlings ~
which thus left me proved to be not so good as
they looked, for I believe only one or two of them _
won races. It grieved me to have to lose the _
patronage of Mr. Gretton in this unceremonious
fashion, but I could not afford to risk a repetition _
of that affair at Liverpool. I must add that I ~
did not believe Mr. Gretton was, except indirectly,
responsible for the manceuvring that so incensed
the public. He was a victim of the people who

were pulling strings mainly to serve their own
ends.

Fernandez remained in training two more ~

seasons. As a four-year-old he started favourite
for the Manchester Cup, but was unplaced,
and then finished a poor third for the Goodwood

Cup. At Goodwood he was quartered in the —

Duke of Richmond’s stables. The Princess of
Wales (Queen Alexandra) went round the stables
one evening and expressed a desire to be shown
“the fat horse.’”’ Everybody that week had
been speaking of Fernandez as “the fattest

‘

rt
k
i
4
if

|

horse they had ever seen.” Rightly or wrongly, —
the idea prevailed that he was being reserved for

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY 193

the Cambridgeshire. If that actually was the
plan it was abandoned, because no more was
seen of Fernandez that season. The following
year his only effort, and it was unsuccessful, was
in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot. He was sold
for 800 guineas on New Year’s Day, 1883, when
his brother Isonomy fetched 9000 guineas.
There was, of course, no comparison between the
two horses, and yet Fernandez was “ good.”

A curious, not to say ridiculous, policy was

pursued with Fernandez when he went to the

stud. A fee of 50 guineas was at the outset
charged for his services. In 1891 this was
raised to 100 guineas, although there was nothing
to justify the increase. Later there was a rever-
sion to 50 guineas. It is hardly surprising,
therefore, that Fernandez was neglected by
breeders. The number of foals resulting from
his first four seasons at the stud was only twenty-

six. He was destroyed in 1899. From 1886

to 1903, when his stock raced on the flat, his sons

and daughters won 58 races worth £14,461.

The best of his get were Wavelet’s Pride, Gon-
salvo, La Uruguaya, Funny Boat, and Foston.
In 1879 Mr. T. E. Walker rejoined the

Kingsclere, but only remained the one season,

‘in the course of which he had winners in Hermia

and the Fair Rosamond filly. The latter was
by Statesman, a son of Young Melbourne.
Her dam was a half-sister, by King John, to

O

194 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Hermit. Mr. Walker bred her himself. She
took part in two races only as a juvenile, and
won both—the Warren Nursery at Sandown
Park and the Home-bred Sweepstakes at New-
market. At the end of that season she left
Kingsclere with Mr. Walker’s other horses.
Named Elizabeth, she won the One Thousand
Guineas and races at Epsom and Ascot, but
then lost her form. As a brood mare Elizabeth
figures in many a pedigree, for her daughter,
La Vierge, bred the winners Sir Geoffrey,
Innocence, Prince William, Pure Gem, Pure
Crystal, Lycaon, and White Magic.

During the time I was virtually private
trainer to Mr. F. Gretton his brother John
occasionally came with him to Kingsclere. In
1877 Mr. John sent to me a two-year-old colt
named Jupiter, by Thunderbolt out of Rebecca.
He had bred the youngster himself, and I believe
I am correct in stating that this was the first
racehorse he owned. Jupiter that season ran
five times, but failed to win, though twice only

narrowly beaten. He, however, won races in —
each of the two following seasons, but they were ©
of no consequence. Roquefort, also bred by ~

Mr. John Gretton, was at Kingsclere as a two-

year-old in 1881. So hopeless was he as a
flat-racing proposition that we did not go to
the trouble of running him. When, however, ©

he was put to jumping a different tale had

——————— lle

PAGEANT AND ISONOMY _— 195

to be told. He won the Grand National in
1885.

One of the races in which Jupiter ran as a
two-year-old was at Shrewsbury. It may have
been on that occasion—if not, no matter—that,
when walking off the course, I saw a crowd
surrounding a tipster wearing racing colours.
Curiosity impelled me to stop and listen to him.
Presently he shouted: “If you want to know
who I am, I will tell you. I served my time
with John Porter at Kingsclere, and I rode
Isonomy in all his gallops.’’ Inasmuch as I
had never seen the man before, his audacity,
not to say his mendacity, fairly took my breath

away. Moving towards him, I touched his elbow.

He turned round and instantly recognised me.
For a moment he seemed nonplussed, but he
quickly regathered his wits. Pointing at me,
he resumed his speech with the words: “ If
you don’t believe me, here is Mr. Porter, who
will vouch for what I have told you!” This
impromptu left me dumb, and I hurried away
as fast as my legs would carry me. I could
not but admire the man’s cleverness.

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER

Wir the season of 1881 a new and extremely —
prosperous era opened for the Kingsclere stable. ©
In addition to Mr. John Gretton’s horses, which —
remained with me, I was entrusted with those
belonging to Lord Stamford ; and that year
also Lord Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone
became patrons of the Park House establishment.
Then, in the late autumn, I was asked by the
Duke of Westminster to take over his yearlings,
and the horses which had been trained for him
at Russley by Robert Peck. The “tone” of
the stable was rapidly elevated. We were no
longer concerned chiefly with handicaps ; atten-
tion became directed more towards the classic
and important’ weight-for-age races. )
‘“‘ Hawley touch ”’ had been regained. |
The Earl of Stamford and Warrington was
nearing the end of his career when he came to ~
Kingsclere, for he died towards the end of 1882.
For many years his horses were trained by ©
Joseph Dawson. It can scarcely be said that
his success on the Turf was commensurate with
196 wi

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 197

the liberality of his patronage. Before he came
to Kingsclere his colours had twice been carried
to victory in classic events ; in 1861 Diophantus
won the Two Thousand Guineas, and in 1863
Lady Augusta was successful in the One Thousand.
This was rather a meagre harvest, inasmuch as
at one time Lord Stamford had sixty horses in
training. 7 .

In 1881 it was my good fortune to buy for
Lord Stamford the filly Geheimniss. Foaled
in 1879, she was a brown daughter of Rosicrucian
and Nameless, the latter a mare by Blinkhoolie.
Geheimniss was a most beautiful creature. She
stood over a lot of ground, and was one of the
speediest animals I have had anything to do with.
If somewhat slow in getting into her stride,
when she did get going her pace was terrific.
She was bred by Mr. John Watson at the Waresley
Stud, in Worcestershire, and at Doncaster, as
a yearling, was bought by Tom Cannon for
330 guineas. Having regard to what Geheim-
niss afterwards did, this seems a ridiculously
small price ; in reality it was quite a good one,
for the dam, Nameless, was a mare who had
never raced, and her only living foal, Friendless,
born two years before Geheimniss, had not then
been seen on the Turf.

In the spring of 1881, when a two-year-old,
Geheimniss won races at Sandown Park and
Bath. Tom Cannon then asked me if I had a

198 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

buyer for her. I approached Lord Stamford
and he agreed to purchase the filly for £2000.
Directly afterwards she won for him two races
at Stockbridge—the Biennial and the Hurst-
bourne Stakes. In the latter St. Marguerite,
winner of the One Thousand Guineas the
following year, finished third, beaten three
lengths and a head. Later in the year Geheim-
niss won the Astley Stakes at Lewes (beat-
ing Marden a length), the Convivial at York,
and the Cheveley Stakes at Newmarket. She
went through the season unbeaten, and that
year won for Lord Stamford four races worth
£3414.

Her first race as a three-year-old was the
Oaks, and we had every reason to believe she
was almost certain to win. The best of her
opponents was St. Marguerite. Inasmuch as
Geheimniss had easily beaten St. Marguerite
as a two-year-old, and had in the meantime
developed to our satisfaction, we did not doubt
her ability to again defeat Mr. Crawfurd’s filly.
That impression was considerably strengthened
when the Duke of Westminster’s Shotover won
the Derby. Though we never formally tried
Geheimniss and Shotover together as three-
year-olds, we could see every day on the Kings-
clere Downs that the former was the better of
the two. In the One Thousand, Shotover had
run St. Marguerite to a neck, with Nellie third,

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 199

a head away. I felt, therefore, very confident
that Geheimniss would win the Oaks. There
were only five runners that year. Odds of
6 to 4 were laid on Geheimniss ; against St.
Marguerite 11 to 4 could be obtained, while
Nellie was at 11 to 2. Geheimniss won easily
by two lengths from St. Marguerite.

Geheimniss suffered her first defeat a fort-
night later at Ascot, where she was beaten a
head over five furlongs in the Fernhill Stakes
by Lord Rosebery’s Narcissa, a two-year-old
daughter of Speculum. This failure was the
outcome of an “incident,” for in running
Geheimniss jumped the road and became un-
balanced for a few strides. She was then put
by for the St. Leger, in which she finished second,
beaten a length and a half, to Dutch Oven, with
Shotover third, four lengths behind. In the
Cambridgeshire, carrying 8 st. 7 lb., she was
unplaced to Hackness. This was the race that
had to be postponed for twenty-four hours,
owing to a violent storm.

Before the next season came round Lord
Stamford was dead. A most princely and
generous man, he was greatly missed. When-
ever he won a race I was instructed to give every
boy in the stable a sovereign, and he was always
extremely liberal tome. After his death, arrange-
ments were made whereby Geheimniss was
leased to Lord Alington and Sir Frederick

200 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Johnstone. As a four-year-old she ran in eight
races and won four. In the Stewards’ Cup at
Goodwood, carrying 9 st. 6 lb., she ran Sir
George Chetwynd’s Hornpipe (8 st. 9 lb.) to a
head, and in the Portland Plate at Doncaster,
with 9 st. 3 Ib. in the saddle, was beaten a head
by Lord Ellesmere’s Lowland Chief, with Horn-
pipe (9 st. 3 Ib.) third, three lengths away.
These performances tend to prove that her great
forte was speed, for both races are run over six
furlongs.

In 1884 Geheimniss carried 9 st. 7 lb. into
second place in the Crawfurd Plate at Newmarket,
and then won eight races off the reel, including
three walks-over. A defeat in the Chesterfield
Cup at Goodwood brought her racing career to
a close. From first to last she started in 31
races and won 20 of them. Here is a summary
of her successes :

Two years old . . Won7 races, £4,378
Three years old . . Won the Oaks, 3,375
Four years old. - Won4races, 1,837
Five years old. . Won 8 races, 2,470

cy: | Gee . £12,060

On leaving Kingsclere, Geheimniss went to
Lady Stamford’s Park Paddocks at Newmarket.
Barcaldine was there, and with him she was mated
five successive seasons. Her record at the Stud
in England reads :

SEL Wg

_— =e =
a PB,

|

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 201

1886. b.c. Freemason, by Barcaldine.

1887. b.c. Oddfellow, by Barcaldine.

1888. bl.c. Grand Master, by Barcaldine.

1889. br.f. Gamine, by Barcaldine.

1890. bl. or br.f. Dame President, by Barcaldine.
1891. b.c. Northhampton, by Royal Hampton.
1892. ch.f. Word of Honour, by Saraband.

1893. br.f. Omladina, by Royal Hampton.

In 1893 Geheimniss was bred to Saraband,
and then sent into the sale ring, to be bought
by Count Lehndorff for 1550 guineas. Her
stud achievements in Germany were, on the
whole, disappointing. The best of the produce
she threw after leaving England was the filly
Balomantine, who won the German Oaks and
afterwards bred Kassandra, winner of the Ham-
burg Grand Prize. Of her English-bred sons
and daughters all won races except Word of
Honour. The best of them, regarded from the
racing point of view, was Omladina, who, owned
by the late Duke of Westminster, won five races
worth £3886. She ran second to St. Frusquin
in the Middle Park Plate, with Persimmon
behind her. Unfortunately she lacked con-
stitution, and though a very good two-year-old
was practically useless afterwards. Sir Blundell
Maple took her into his stud, only to find her
a disappointing brood mare. Oddfellow and
Grand Master went to the United States, where
they did fairly well as sires. Freemason and
Dame President were sold by auction as yearlings.

202 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

The former was bought by Mr. Abington Baird
for 1900 guineas, and the latter by Sir Blundell
Maple for 2100 guineas, From first. to last,
therefore, Lord and Lady Stamford did extremely
well with Geheimniss, who died in 1907.

Lord Alington and Sir Frederick. Johnstone,
who came to be known on the Turf as “ The Old
Firm,’’ because of the long duration of their
racing partnership, joined the Kingsclere Stable
some little time after the commencement of the
racing season of 1881. Sir Frederick had, of
course, been slightly associated with it previously,
because he owned Xi jointly with Sir Joseph
Hawley. Before coming to me the “ confeder-
ates’’’ horses had been trained by Percy at
Pimperne, Dorsetshire, near Lord Alington’s
place, Crichel. The first batch sent to Kingsclere
was a very small one, and included no animal of
any consequence. None of them managed to
win the ‘‘ whole” of a race that season, but the
two-year-old filly Wedlock, who became the dam
of Best Man, ran a dead-heat in a match at Ascot.
This was the only contest in which Wedlock ever
took part. In the autumn of that year St. Blaise
was one of the yearlings that reached Kingsclere
from Crichel; but I must defer the relation of his
story until I have disposed of Shotover, who, in
1882, won the Two Thousand Guineas and the
Derby for the Duke of Westminster.

It was the retirement of Robert Peck of Russley

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 203

that caused the Duke to entrust me with his horses.
They arrived at Kingsclere after the close of the
racing season of 1881. At that time there was
no reason for supposing that Shotover, a chestnut
filly by Hermit out of Stray Shot, was anything
out of the common. Her first race had been that
for the Middle Park Plate. Odds of 50 to 1
were offered against her and she ran unplaced.
The following day she started favourite for the
Prendergast Stakes, but was beaten a neck by
Prince Soltykoff’s Berwick, who had no form of
consequence to his credit. At the Houghton
Meeting Shotover was unplaced in a Nursery
Handicap. That was the full tale of her career
as a two-year-old. It is hardly the sort of prelude
one expects to a Derby triumph.

At that time, however, Shotover’s powers
were undeveloped. She was a magnificent-look-
ing filly, with plenty of size and fine action, but
unfortunately was hampered by a delicate con-
stitution. Bred at Blankney by Mr. (now Vis-
count) Chaplin, she was sent to Newmarket to
be sold as a yearling, and, acting for the Duke of
Westminster, Robert Peck bought her for 1400
guineas. Her dam, Stray Shot, was one of the
last of the animals bred by Sir Joseph Hawley,
and was a winner of several races, one of them
being over two miles. The second dam, Vaga,
was by Stockwell out of Mendicant, the dam of
Sir Joseph’s Derby winner Beadsman. The

204 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

virility of this line is further shown by the fact
that Stray Shot’s daughter, Penitent, was the dam
of Ravensbury; while another daughter, Silver
Sea, bred Lord Bobs and His Majesty. It is
said that when the Duke of Westminster paid a
visit to Russley shortly after the purchase of
Shotover, his Grace told Peck he did not like the
filly. The trainer thereupon said he would take
her over at the price he had given. Some time
later the Duke changed his mind and bought her
back from Peck.

With a view to ascertaining Shotover’s chance
of winning the Two Thousand and One Thousand
Guineas in 1882, we tried her on April 18, eight
days before the former race. This was the result:

One Mile
Incendiary, 5 yrs., 9 st. .
Locksley, 3 yrs., 7 st.
Shotover, 3 yrs., 9 st.
Sirdar, 5 yrs., 9 st.
Won by aneck; a head Aausie arabe iad third
another head between third and fourth.

-—> Ww N

Shotover’s form in this trial did not afford us
much encouragement. It looked a little better,
however, the day before the Two Thousand, when
both Sirdar and Incendiary were placed second
in mile races; but, even so, we were anything but
confident she would win the Two Thousand.

— ire
ee ee

Ya ~xe + a ae ea ee

a a af

Our doubt is revealed by the betting, for odds of

Io to 1 were laid against her. Although the

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 205

Duke himself never had a bet, there were others
connected with the stable who backed our horses
very freely when the omens seemed favourable.
And let me say here that all my patrons worked
amicably together. None of them harboured any
secrets concerning their horses. Locksley, who
took part in our Guineas’ trial, belonged to Mr.
John Gretton, but I had not to ask his permission
to put the horse in the gallop. It was understood
that I could use the horses in the stable as I thought
best. We were, in fact, a very happy family.

Shotover won the Two Thousand Guineas
by a couple of lengths from Lord Bradford’s
Quicklime, Marden finishing third, four lengths
farther away. Glancing down the list of eighteen
runners, one realises that the field was a very
moderate one that year. The first and second
favourites were Executor and Pursebearer, horses
who have long been forgotten. Two days later
Shotover competed for the One Thousand
Guineas. Odds of 4 to 1 were laid on her de-
feating five opponents, but she was beaten a neck
by the handsome St. Marguerite, and finished a
head only in front of Nellie. Her effort in the
Two Thousand had settled her for the time
being ; she was not strong enough to race again
so soon.

During the month that elapsed before the
Derby, Shotover picked up nicely, and we sent
her to Epsom, believing, like the public, that only

206 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

one of her opponents had a chance of beating her.
The horse I refer to was Bruce. This son of
See Saw ran four times as a two-year-old and was
unbeaten. In the Criterion, at the Newmarket
Houghton Meeting, he beat both St. Marguerite
and Nellie. We had, therefore, cause to fear him.

Bruce was a hot favourite for the Derby at
9 to 4; then came Shotover at 11 to 2, Quick-
lime at 6 to 1, and Dutch Oven at 1roto1. There
were fourteen runners. Forcing tactics were
adopted with the favourite. Approaching Tatten-
ham Corner he was leading, but, frightened by a
piece of paper on the course, he swerved, and
made a wide sweep round the turn. This lost
him many lengths. At the distance Quicklime
was leading from Shotover. The latter, ridden
by Tom Cannon, gradually wore him down,
however, and won the race by three-quarters of
a length. The victory was well received by the
public, whose appreciation was no doubt quick-
ened by the knowledge that Shotover was only
the third filly who had secured Derby honours,
the other two being Eleanor (1801) and Blink
Bonny (1857). Sachem and Bruce were placed
third and fourth. Had his jockey obeyed orders
and ridden him out, Bruce would have finished
third. It may be, as many people contended at
the time, that Bruce was unlucky to be beaten
that day. Ten days later he won the Grand Prix
de Paris, but he never ran again in England.

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 207

I had now trained a second Derby winner,
and the Duke had for the second time seen his
colours carried to victory in the greatest of our
races, the first to bear them triumphantly being
Bend Or, who won in 1880. He was naturally
very delighted, and it was a rare stroke of fortune
for me that his Grace’s horses should have come
to Kingsclere with a classic winner among them.

Shotover was engaged in the Oaks, but, after
our experience with her in the One Thousand,
we did not take the risk of running her in the
fillies’ race, especially as we knew she had little
or no chance of beating her stable companion,
Geheimniss, who, as already recorded, won the
race easily from St. Marguerite and Nellie.
Shotover won a couple of races at Ascot, and was
then put aside for the St. Leger.

Some time before the Doncaster race it was
understood by the public that Fred Archer would
ride Shotover. The Duke had second claim on
Archer’s services, the first being held by Lord
Falmouth. Almost at the last moment Lord
Falmouth, exercising his right, decided that
Archer should ride Dutch Oven in the St. Leger.
Greatly disappointed, Archer approached Lord
Falmouth and asked to be liberated so that he
might ride Geheimniss. His employer refused
the request, but endeavoured to console the
jockey by remarking: “If I give you up to the
Duke, you will have to ride Shotover, and you

208 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

may as well be beaten on Dutch Oven as on
Shotover.’”” As a matter of fact, if Lord Fal-
mouth had not wanted Archer, the Duke would ~
have allowed him to ride Geheimniss instead of —
Shotover, because everybody connected with the
Kingsclere stable knew, as Lord Falmouth had
hinted, that Lord Stamford’s filly was the better _
of the two. It only remains to be added that —

Dutch Oven won the St. Leger from Geheimniss
and Shotover, the three “ places ” being thus filled
by fillies. Dutch Oven owed her success to the

fact that she was a much better stayer than either ~

of our candidates. Indeed, neither Geheimniss —

nor Shotover had any pretensions to staying the —
St. Leger distance. |

On the Friday at Doncaster Shotover won —
the Park Hill Stakes easily from some very moder- —
ate opponents; but later, at Newmarket, failed —

by a length to give 10 lb. to Kermesse and Nellie,

who dead-heated for the Select Stakes. By this

time Shotover was showing unmistakable signs

that she had had enough racing. She had de- i

veloped jady habits. The following April, I tried
her with Geheimniss as follows: 2

Ten Furlongs
Geheimniss, 4 yrs., 9 st. 7 1b. i : ese
Shotover, 4 yrs., 8 st. 12 Ib. : aM
Locksley, 4 yrs., 6 st. 12 Ib. , ’ ; eg

A dead-heat ; three lengths.

GEHEIMNISS AND SHOTOVER 209

This trial took place six days before the City
and Suburban at Epsom, for which Shotover,
carrying 8 st. 9 lb., started favourite. With
Archer up, she was well beaten. In the Epsom
Gold Cup she finished last of four, and at Ascot
made a poor show in a Triennial. We came to
the conclusion it was useless to persevere with her,
and so she was packed off to the Eaton Stud.
The best of her produce were Orion and Bull-
ingdon. She was destroyed in 1898, and lies
buried in the Stud Yard at Eaton, her grave being
_ between those of Ornament, dam of Sceptre, and
Lily Agnes, dam of Ormonde.

The Kingsclere Stable’s triumphs in the Two
Thousand Guineas, Derby, and Oaks with Shot-
over and Geheimniss were celebrated by a grand
picnic on our Downs. Everybody in the village
and in the neighbouring hamlets was entertained.
A generous meal was served in two marquees,
and all sorts of festivities were afterwards indulged
in. Air balloons in the Duke’s and Lord Stam-
ford’s colours were sent away, and when dusk
came there was a big show of fireworks.
Altogether we had a-great jollification, and who
could say we were not justified in rejoicing?
The cost of the entertainment was equally shared

_ by the owners and the trainer of the two fillies.

ST. BLAISE

Lorp Aturincton and Sir Frederick Johnstone

were “‘ seasoned campaigners” when they came

to Kingsclere in 1881. The former was born in

1825, and had been a member of the Jockey

Club since 1850. Up to 1876 he was a com-
moner—Mr. Gerard Sturt. He had had two ©
or three racing partners before he combined his
interests on the Turf with those of Sir Frederick
in 1868, when both were patrons of William —

Day at Woodyeates. Sir Frederick was the —
junior member of “‘ the firm,” for he was sixteen

years younger than Lord Alington; nevertheless, —
the confederacy horses almost invariably carried { |
his colours, “‘ chocolate, yellow sleeves.” Lor a
Alington seemed, however, to be the more active ai
partner. I always got on well with them, and, —
generally speaking, the management of the —
horses was left entirely to me. Both Lord Aling- —
ton and Sir Frederick were inclined to bet some-
what heavily at times. I have always thought
they were extraordinarily fortunate as breeders —

and owners of racehorses. Between them, I ~
210

a NCTE ORT A at oii,

Ta To

ST. BLAISE 211

suppose, they never owned more than seven or
eight brood mares at any one time, yet while I
trained for them they bred St. Blaise, Common,
Matchbox, Matchmaker, Friar’s Balsam, Throstle,
Missel Thrush, and Plum Centre. There have
been few studs able to boast of a better record.
St. Blaise, a chestnut colt by Hermit out of

| Fusee, by Marsyas, was one of the yearlings that

reached Kingsclere in the autumn of 1881. He
was a fine big colt, though inclined to be rather
coarse. There was none of the Newminster deli-
cacy about him; one would, indeed, rather de-
scribe him as a horse of the Stockwell type. As

a two-year-old, he showed himself just ‘‘ useful.”

It was at Stockbridge, in the summer, that he

made his first appearance in public. He won

the Biennial, walked-over for the Troy Stakes,
and ran second to Macheath in the Hurstbourne
Stakes. At Goodwood he dead-heated with
Elzévir for the Molecomb Stakes. In accordance
with the somewhat absurd rule then applying
when owners agreed to divide after a dead-
heat, St. Blaise went through the formality of
walking over. In the autumn, at Newmarket,
he was unplaced in the Dewhurst Plate, but won
the Troy Stakes. This series of performances
was not one on which extravagant hopes could
be founded.

During the ensuing winter months St. Blaise
literally waxed fat, and when the racing season

212 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of 1883 came round I was beset with difficulties
in his case. It happened to be an abnormally —
wet spring, and the gallops on our Downs were ©
so heavy I could not give the colt the work he ©
needed to get him fit for the Two Thousand ©
Guineas. His backwardness was revealed by a
trial on April 12: ;

One Mile
Whipper-in, 4 yrs., 7 st. 13 lb. . ; may
St. Blaise, 3 yrs., 8 st. 13 1b. , : pike
Incendiary, 6 yrs., 8 st. 13 Ib... ' 3

Won by a length and a half; six bia
between second and third.

It was, however, decided that St. Blaise should t
run in the Guineas, because the race was likely —

to do him a world of good. His chance of win-

ning was not seriously considered, and odds of —

25 to 1 were offered against him. He did no ©

better than we expected. The three placed 4
horses were Galliard, Goldfield, and The Prince. —
During the month that intervened between

the Guineas and the Derby, St. Blaise improved i
rapidly, for I was able to give him plenty of strong —

work. He was again formally tried a week ‘
before the Derby. The occasion was a notable —

one, for that day the Prince of Wales (afterwards iy

King Edward) paid his first visit to Kingsclere. —
He travelled down by train to Overton in the
morning, and drove to the Downs, where Lord
Alington, Sir Frederick Johnstone, and I received —

ST. BLAISE 213

him. The Prince mounted my trusty grey cob,
Jack, and then away we went to the trial ground.
The trial is thus recorded in my book:

One Mile and a Half

St. Blaise, 3 yrs., 8 st. 6 Ib.
Incendiary, 6 yrs., 8 st. 2 Ib.
Shotover, 4 yrs., 8 st. 12 Ib.
Geheimniss, 4 yrs., 9 st. 5 Ib.
Energy, 3 yrs., 8 st. 5 Ib. 4 :

Won by two lengths; four lengths between
second and third; a head between third and fourth ;
another head between fourth and fifth.

Mae WO NY

_ This result afforded us much satisfaction. That
the “race ”’ had been truly run was proved con-
clusively enough by the fact that Shotover, in
receipt of 7 lb., finished a head in front of Geheim-
niss, for that was how we rated the two fillies.
We felt, then, that if St. Blaise did as well in the
Derby as he had done in the trial he would take
alot of beating. When the morning’s work was
over we went to Park House for lunch, and I
afterwards showed the Prince over the stables.
He took a lively interest in all he saw.

Galliard, winner of the Two Thousand,
naturally started favourite for the Derby; odds
of 7 to 2 were laid against him when the flag fell.
The Prince, Goldfield, and St. Blaise were equal
second favourites at 5 to 1. The Prince was
beaten shortly after entering the straight, and
two furlongs from home St. Blaise was in front,

214 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

with Galliard, Goldfield, and Highland Chief
his immediate followers. Shortly afterwards —
Goldfield was beaten, and Highland Chief headed
Galliard. Inthe meantime St. Blaise was making
the best of his way home, and when well inside —
the distance held a lead which seemed sufficient
to ensure victory. Then, however, came another i
spurt by Highland Chief, which enabled him ~
to draw almost level with the son of Hermit. —
The next few moments were charged with in- —
tense excitement. Beautifully ridden by Charles ~
Wood, who had never been seen to better advan- —
tage, St. Blaise, however, responded to this un- —
expected challenge, and in a thrilling finish —
gained the verdict by a neck. Galliard finished ~
third, half a length away. Mf

During the years that have since come and ~
gone, that race has been discussed again and
again. Whenever the racing career of the late
Lord Falmouth is reviewed there is inevitably a —
reference to the defeat of Galliard. His lordship
was profoundly dissatisfied with the way Archer
rode his horse. It has been stated that imme- ~
_ diately after the race he told the famous jockey
he no longer required his services. A few ©
months later Lord Falmouth disposed of his
blood-stock, and a memorable sale it was. The
reason traditionally given for the dispersal was
the disgust occasioned by Galliard’s failure in i,
the Derby ; but it has since been asserted that

ST. BLAISE | 215

the real reason was a desire, owing to advancing
age, for relief from the anxieties that accompany
the maintenance of a breeding-stud and racing-
stable. Those who persist in believing that
Archer deliberately refrained from doing his
best with Galliard allege that it was financially
to his interest that Highland Chief should win.
Whether or not there is any truth in this sugges-
tion I cannot say. All I know is that it would
have required a good horse to beat St. Blaise in
that Derby. The trial he won was good enough
for most Derbys.

St. Blaise then went to Paris for the Grand
Prix. Archer rode him at Longchamps, but
he was beaten “ half a neck” by Frontin, who
had won the French Derby. Our horse was
considerably hampered in the race, the French
jockeys having, apparently, entered into a con-
spiracy to obstruct Archer as much as possible.
After the race, I received orders to hurry St.
Blaise back to England so that he might run at
Ascot the same week. If I had had my way he
most certainly would not have been treated in
that fashion. However, I obeyed instructions.
In the Ascot Derby St. Blaise ran a “ dog horse,”’
and finished a bad third to Ladislas and Ossian.
This wretched exhibition was, of course, due to
his not having had time to recover from the big
effort in the Grand Prix three days previously.
He was not engaged in the St. Leger, and his

216 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

only other “‘ achievements’ that season were a
couple of walks-over.

We had, as it turned out, seen the best of
St. Blaise. His one race as a four-year-old was
in the City and Suburban at Epsom, in which
he carried 8 st. 12 lb., started favourite, but ran
unplaced. There was about that time some
trouble with one of his suspensory ligaments,
and I could never train him properly afterwards,
though I persevered with him. He ran in the
Lincolnshire Handicap and two other races as
a five-year-old, but was unplaced each. time.
His owners then sold him to go to the United
States, the buyer being the late Mr. August
Belmont.

After Mr. Belmont’s death, St. Blaise came
under the hammer in New York. Mr. Charles
Reed, owner of a big stud-farm in Tennessee,
had just been frustrated in an endeavour to buy
Ormonde, and consoled himself by making the
one and only bid for St. Blaise. His offer was
a hundred thousand dollars—{20,000. When
talking about this transaction afterwards Mr.
Reed used to say, alluding to the other breeders
who had intended to bid for St. Blaise, “‘ I earth-
quaked ’em, that’s all—just earthquaked ’em.”
If not a conspicuous success as a stallion, St.
Blaise was the sire of many useful winners, and
is credited with a long string of brood mares in
the American Stud Book.

Sal See SE Ses a —

Pe <a,
Ry he core

“ak Sem
a SO

es

|
|

|
|

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ST. BLAISE 217

A word or two may be interpolated here con-
cerning Whipper-in and Incendiary, two horses
who figured in most of my trials at this period.
They both belonged to the Duke of Westminster.
Apart from the races they won, their value to
the stable was almost incalculable because of
the reliability of their form in test gallops. In
this capacity Whipper-in was a veritable treasure.
So far as my recollection goes, I can say he never
deceived me. He could try other horses over
any distance up to a mile and a half, and was in
active service in this way for five seasons. In
the earlier pages of this book I have extolled the
merits of Xi and Lictor as trial horses, but, good
as they were, Whipper-in excelled them. In
cendiary was also a faithful assistant on the trial
ground. ‘These four horses were the only ones
I had at Kingsclere that invariably told me a
true tale. Incidentally, Whipper-in won, in
the course of five seasons, races worth £5587.
He deserved a monument! Fortunate, indeed,
is the trainer who has a horse of this character
in one of his boxes. Whipper-in eventually
went to the Argentine, where he became a fairly
successful stallion.

The best of our two-year-olds in 1883 were
Sandiway and Duke of Richmond, both owned
by the Duke of Westminster. Sandiway was
a lovely little chestnut mare by Doncaster out
of Clemence. If there was any truth—I do not

218 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

believe there was—in the allegation that Bend Or
was really Tadcaster, and vice versa, Sandiway
would rank as sister to a Derby winner. Mr.
Somerville Tattersall, in the course of a contribu-
tion to the Bend Or controversy (he is a believer
in the pedigree of Bend Or as it appears in the
Stud Book) wrote :

Allusions have been made to the likeness between Bend
Or and Sandiway. ‘There was no resemblance, as far as
I could see, in their appearance, though they both had
good action, but there was, of course, a distinct likeness
between Sandiway (by Doncaster) and Lenity (by Bend Or)
both out of Clemence.

Now I am bound to say that in my opinion
Sandiway did bear a very strong resemblance to
Bend Or. The fact that the likeness existed
does not, however, necessarily strengthen the
suggestion that the two animals were brother
and sister. The mere circumstance that they
were by the same sire is sufficient to account for
the features common to both.

As a two-year-old Sandiway won seven of the
nine races in which she ran, including the Acorn
Stakes at Epsom, the Findon Stakes and a
Nursery Handicap at Goodwood, and the Pren-
dergast at Newmarket. The following season

=

SEAM IE HI

a ee

Lo . = ‘ — Me -
pe IRI a > co a ge eg

ira ee

ea a ere

she was out seven times. After running un- —
placed in the One Thousand, won by Busy- ©
body, she took the Coronation Stakes at Ascot, —

=

SS

ST. BLAISE 219

finishing a long way in front of Queen Adelaide,
who had been placed second in the One Thou-
sand and third in the Oaks. At Goodwood,
Sandiway captured the Nassau Stakes, then ran
second, beaten a length, to The Lambkin in the
St. Leger; and in the autumn she won the
Newmarket Oaks, and ran unplaced in the
Cambridgeshire.

Before the St. Leger Captain Machell, on
behalf of Sir John Willoughby, who was running
Harvester, objected to the nomination of The
Lambkin. This son of Camballo was bred by
Mr. Clare Vyner, but the entry for the St. Leger
was made by Mr. Robert C. Vyner “on behalf
of Mr. Clare Vyner.” The latter, who died
before the St. Leger was run, bequeathed The
Lambkin to his brother. The Doncaster Stew-
ards decided that the nomination was quite in
order. Had they come to the contrary conclu-
sion we may assume that Sandiway would have
been crowned with classic laurels. I confess I
have no vivid memories of that particular race;
still, I fancy, however, I was not altogether
surprised when I saw Sandiway go so near to
winning, even though odds of 40 to 1 had been
laid against her. But for the fact that she met
with considerable interference in the race she
would probably have been placed first instead of
second.

I recall an incident connected with the

220 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Cambridgeshire in which Sandiway, who was well
backed, finished unplaced to Florence. Riding
my hack, I went on to the far side of the course
to see the race. ‘‘ Rosebery”? Smith came up
to me and asked if I had backed my mare. I
said, “‘ No, I haven’t; but I should like to have
£5 on her for a place.” He replied: ‘ You had
better put your ‘fiver’ on Florence. She will
win, and your mare will make the running for
her.”” “You are wrong there,” I rejoined,
“because I have given orders for my mare to
be waited with.” But it turned out that Mr.
Smith was right. As the field came up the hill
(the race at that time finished at the “‘ Top of the
Town ’’) Sandiway was in front, and she was still
leading when she passed me, somewhere between
the old Red Post and the winning-post. Natu-
rally I was intensely annoyed to find that my
orders had been disobeyed. It was freely stated
afterwards that many of the jockeys were winners
over Florence.

As a four-year-old Sandiway won the Liver-
pool Summer Cup, beating Lord Cawdor’s The
General by a short head; ran second for the
Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood, and third in the
Great Yorkshire Handicap at Doncaster. In
four other races she was unplaced. Then she
went to the stud at Eaton. From 1887 to 1899
she produced seven foals, the best of them being
Calveley, by St. Serf. After the Duke of West-

jen Ses

ST. BLAISE 221

minster’s death in 1899 she was acquired by Mr.
Larnach, for whom she bred two foals of no
consequence. She died in 1906. When she
left Kingsclere we believed she would develop
into a successful brood mare, but the longer one
lives the more it is borne in upon one that it is
never safe to prophesy how a mare will turn out
when she goes to the stud.

Duke of Richmond was a very fine-looking
bay colt by Hampton out of Preference. In the
first instance he was called Bushey, but the name
was changed before he made his first appearance
in public, appropriately enough in the Richmond
Stakes at Goodwood. We thought the world of
him at that time. On July 25, six days before he
ran at Goodwood, we had tried him as follows:

Six Furlongs

Duke of Richmond, 2 yrs., 8 st. 11 Ib. . othe
Whipper-in, 4 yrs.,9 st. 4 lb... ‘ ie
Sandiway, 2 yrs., 8 st. , ‘ ; ie

Won by a neck; three lengths between second
and third.

That was a very fine performance, one that
more than confirmed the high estimate we had
previously formed of the colt’s capabilities.
Starting an even-money favourite for the Rich-
mond Stakes, he won very comfortably. He was
then matched against St. Simon at level weights
to race over the Bretby Stakes course at the
Newmarket Houghton Meeting for £500 a side.

222 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

St. Simon, with odds of 2 to 1 laid on, beat him
by three-quarters of a length.

Like our colt, St. Simon had made his debut
at Goodwood, where he won the Halnaker
Stakes in a canter, and the same week captured
the Maiden Stakes. After that he won the
Devonshire Nursery at Derby, and the Prince of
Wales’s Nursery at Doncaster. In the latter
race he carried 9 st. and won by eight lengths.

Having regard, therefore, to these performances, .

a decided compliment was paid to Duke of
Richmond when speculators were required to lay
only 2 to 1 on the Duke of Portland’s colt. The
Duke of Westminster thought his horse a wonder.
There is no doubt he was very good, but no
match for St. Simon.

I had been a bidder, on my own behalf, for
St. Simon when he was offered for sale at New-
market in July of that year owing to the death of
his breeder, Count Batthyany. When he came
into the ring there was some dressing on his
hocks, which had been slightly blistered; but
so far as I could make out there was nothing
the matter. At any rate, the dressing would
not have stopped me buying the son of Galopin,
because I had come to the conclusion it was put
on to frighten intending buyers. Sir George
Chetwynd, who was bidding for the horse on
behalf of a friend, tells us it came to his know-
ledge that Matthew Dawson, when looking over

PA Be es tin.

ST. BLAISE 223

the horse before the sale, stooped down and
licked the dressing with his tongue in order to
find out what it was made of! It was a hint
from Matt that caused me to stop bidding for
St. Simon. Indeed, he gave me more than a
hint, for he told me plainly I might as well give
up because he had instructions to buy the colt
for the Duke of Portland. He silenced his
opponents with a bid of 1600 guineas. That
seemed at the time a fair price, for St. Simon had
not yetrun. Though he was reported “ smart,”
nobody, of course, had the ghost of an idea that
he was the marvel he proved himself to be.
It goes without saying that he was the biggest
bargain ever secured in an auction ring, for he
earned a huge fortune as a stallion. I have often
been asked for my opinion concerning the merits
of St. Simon. Naturally, I share the universal
view that he was a very great horse; at the same
time, I am convinced he was no better than, if
so good as, Ormonde. Neither suffered defeat.
In favouring Ormonde I am influenced by the
character of the horses they met and defeated.
To return to Duke of Richmond, he was not
entered for any of the classic events, and his first
race as a three-year-old was for the Royal Hunt
Cup at Ascot. Handicapped at 8 st. he started
favourite at 4 to 1, and was beaten a length by
Acrostic, a four-year-old to whom he was giving
23 lb. This was a very fine performance. The

224 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

same week he was second to Energy, a very >

speedy horse, in the Wokingham Stakes. At

Goodwood he ran a great horse when second in

the Stewards’ Cup, carrying 8 st. to lb., and the
same week he won the Racing Stakes. At
Newmarket, in the autumn, he won the Select
Stakes, walked-over for the All-Aged Stakes,
and ran St. Gatien, who was conceding 3 Ib., to
three-parts of a length in the Free Handicap.
As a four-year-old he ran thirteen times without
winning. We sold him early in the autumn of
that season to Captain Machell, and in the
Champion Stakes at Newmarket he ran Paradox
to a neck, though the latter could have won by
a much bigger margin. He was then cut, and
did not run at all as a five-year-old. Sold to
General Owen Williams, his attention was next
turned to hurdle-racing. After winning selling
hurdle races, he was at various times sold for
240 guineas, 310 guineas, and 340 guineas.
Sir T. Brinckman and Tom Cannon had him for
a while. His name disappeared from the records
after 1890. Little did any of us associated with
him when he was a two- and three-year-old imagine
that he would descend to the sphere in which he
finished his racing career. He had remarkable
speed in his early days, but lacked stamina. |
have often wondered what he would have done
had he been sent to the stud at the close of his
three-year-old season.

2S lp SS I NS I SE IN Re MLN iON IE Sal Ot Nich ta OED tim oS
. - . 4 oa ¥ —— -. oe | <

we

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celine

ST. BLAISE 225

Another good two-year-old at Kingsclere in
1883 was the filly Reprieve, by Queen’s Messen-
ger. When the property of Matt Dawson, she
won the Stud Produce Stakes at the Newmarket

First Spring Meeting in a canter. Lord

Grosvenor (the eldest son of the late Duke of
Westminster and the father of the present Duke)
then bought her for £2000. This was the first

and the last racehorse owned by Lord Grosvenor.

I fancy the Duke was not very pleased when he
learned that his son had joined the ranks of
owners; he seemed to think that one patron of
the Turf in the family was sufficient! Lord
Grosvenor, however, did very well with Reprieve,
for she won for him five races worth £4188, and
was twice placed second. Before the next racing
season came round Lord Grosvenor died, and

Reprieve was bought by Lord Alington and Sir

Frederick Johnstone. Her racing abilities, how-
ever, dwindled sadly after her two-year-old days,
and she could not win another race. She was
eventually sold to Sir Tatton Sykes, who bred
from her some fairly useful animals, including
Florrie, Queen’s Pardon, Mintlaw, and Remise.

The career of Reprieve was very nearly brought
to a tragic close when she was a two-year-old. I
took her to Birmingham in June to run for the
Four Oaks Plate the first day of the meeting.
When driving to the course in a cab, I saw a
horse on the ground, and, alighting, found to my

Q

226 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

horror it was Reprieve. A cab had been driven
into her and knocked her over. Fortunately
there were no bones broken; indeed, apart from
being a little shaken, she was none the worse.
We kept her quiet that day, and the following
afternoon she was able to secure the Great
Midland Foal Plate, worth nearly twice as much
as the race she had gone to Birmingham to win.
Another of the Duke of Westminster’s two-
year-olds in 1883 was Cambusmore, by Don-
caster out of Strathfleet. A big, overgrown colt,
he obviously required plenty of time for develop-
ment, and I let him have it, in accordance with
my invariable practice in such cases. The reward

came in due course. His only outing as a two- ~

year-old was in the Middle Park Plate, in which
he ran unplaced to Busybody. By the following

summer he had come to hand nicely, and won the ©

St. James’s Palace Stakes at Ascot. In the
autumn he was thrice successful at Newmarket.

a = °
TN gt ra eS te ite

2 ees

The following year Lord Londonderry, then —

Viceroy of Ireland, bought him, and, ridden by
Archer, Cambusmore won the Lord Lieutenant’s

Plate at the Curragh. His performances would ~
hardly be worth mentioning in these pages but —

for the fact that they emphasise the importance ~
of exercising patience with horses who, as two- —

year-olds, have grown beyond their strength.

EE —— <= =

PARADOX

In 1884 my list of patrons was enlarged, for Mr.

Brodrick Cloete joined the stable. He had only

a few horses in training, but among them was
Cherry, a beautiful little chestnut filly by Sterling
out of Cherry Duchess. As a two-year-old she
was owned by Mr. R. S. Evans, whose horses
were trained by Tom Brown at Newmarket.
Mr. Cloete bought her for £2000 just after she
had won the Cheveley Stakes, her only race as a
juvenile. From Kingsclere she went the follow-
ing year to win the Epsom Grand Prize, the
Kempton Grand Prize, and the Knowsley Dinner
Stakes at Liverpool—three races worth £4789.
She ended her days in Germany.

But, so far as his association with Kingsclere
is concerned, Mr. Cloete came into prominence
chiefly by the aid of Paradox, a bay colt by
Sterling out of Casuistry, by The Miner. He
was bred by the Grahams at Yardley, In
September 1876 Lord Rosebery bought, for 800
guineas, Lady Caroline (by Orlando) and her filly
foal by The Miner. The foal was Casuistry,

227

228 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

sister to the then five-year-old Controversy, with
whom his lordship had won the Lincolnshire
Handicap and the Liverpool Summer Cup. The
filly raced as a two-year-old only, and her solitary
victory was gained the first time she ran—in a
Maiden Plate over half a mile at Epsom. The
following year, 1879, she was mated with
Kisber, and in May 1880 was one of nine
mares Lord Rosebery disposed of at a sale held
at Epsom. Mr. Young R. Graham, of the
Yardley Stud, secured her, together with her
colt foal Graft, for 130 guineas.

When the hammer fell and the buyer’s name
was announced, Young Graham’s brother ex-
claimed, “ What! Have you bought another
mare?” “ Yes,’”’ was the reply, “and if she
is all right I hope she will breed for us another
Isonomy.” Seeing Lord Rosebery standing at
the other side of the ring talking to Lord
Falmouth, the brother suggested that the buyer
should go and ask if there was anything wrong
with the mare. Young Graham approached Lord
Rosebery, who told him that his sole reason
for parting with Casuistry was her inability to
stay more than four furlongs. Casuistry had
been mated again with Kisber in 1880 but
proved barren. The following year the Grahams
put her to Sterling, and the result of the union
was Paradox.

I may mention that the mare which followed

~~ ~ igi ee _ a --
y & Ne re Sy eS _ Pe ee
SS eS eee ae ~-, = ——— =

PARADOX 229

Casuistry into the ring at the Epsom sale was
Footlight, a four-year-old by Cremorne out of
Paraffin. She had not raced at all and was
bought by Mr. Caledon Alexander for 55
guineas. Footlight produced Glare, the dam
of Flair, Lesbia, and Vivid, and of Lady Light-
foot, the mother of Prince Palatine.

In the summer of 1883 I paid my customary
visit to the Yardley Stud to inspect the yearlings
to be offered for sale. On this occasion I was
accompanied by my friend Captain Bowling.
We were particularly impressed by the Casuistry
colt. Though he had pasterns unduly long,
and hocks that left something to be desired
owing to their coarseness, there was a very
racing-like appearance about the youngster that
appealed to us. I was not able to attend the
sale myself, and so asked “‘ young ” Tom Jennings
to buy the colt for me. He got him for 700
guineas. Captain Bowling and I * went halves.”
Some time later the Captain said he would like
to buy my share if I did not mind. As I was
not particularly anxious to own horses I agreed
to let him have my “ half.”

Paradox did not run until the autumn of
1884, and then started an equal favourite with
Cora for the Middle Park Plate. In the spring
he had given me some trouble, and the season
was well advanced before I could start training
him properly. When, however, he did go into

230 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

strong work he made headway rapidly. We
tried him as follows on October 3 :

Five Furlongs
Casuistry colt, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 lb. .
Rebecca colt, 2 yrs., 8 st.
Whipper-in, 5 yrs., 9 st.
Reprieve, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. .
Siren, 5 yrs., 8 st.

Won by half a ba: two echt Gaal
second and third; three lengths between third and
fourth ; two lengths between fourth and fifth.

mr Ww N

This was a first-rate performance ; so good,
indeed, that the Duke of Westminster, who had
previously noted the way the Casuistry colt
shaped in his work on the Downs, expressed a
desire to buy him if Captain Bowling was willing
to sell. The latter asked {£6000 and got it.
Paradox, therefore, carried the Duke’s colours
when he competed in the Middle Park Plate.
Cora, a filly by Uncas, was strongly fancied
for the “ Two-Year-Old Derby” because she
had won three good races, one being the
valuable Whitsuntide Plate at Manchester, and
another the Tattersall Sale Stakes at Doncaster.
On this occasion, however, she was outclassed.
Melton was placed first, Xaintrailles second,
while Paradox dead-heated with Royal Hampton
for third place. When the flag fell Paradox
whipped half round and lost many lengths.
During the race he picked up the lost ground

PARADOX 231

well, and in the circumstances I was quite
satisfied with his performance, for he finished
only two lengths behind Melton, though I should
explain that the latter was giving both Paradox
and Xaintrailles 7 lb. So, too, was Royal
Hampton. To me it seemed obvious that, but
for the mishap at the start, Paradox would have
been returned the winner of the Middle Park
Plate.

This unlucky defeat was to have important
consequences. While we were rubbing Paradox
down after the race two or three of the Duke’s
friends came into the box to look at him. Il
happened to hear one of them remark: “ A nice
brute they have stuck the Duke with!” This
silly innuendo angered me, even though it was
made by a man palpably ignorant of the finer
points of racing. I let the observation pass,
but was not greatly surprised when, a little later,
the Duke informed me that if I could find a
buyer he would sell the Casuistry colt. I at
once suggested to Mr. Cloete that he should
buy the youngster. When I told him the Duke
had paid £6000, he naturally said that as the
Duke was anxious to sell he ought to be prepared
to do so at a loss. Mr. Cloete offered £5000
and the bid was accepted. A fortnight later
Paradox—he was now so named—won the
Dewhurst Plate in a canter by three lengths
from Cora, with Xaintrailles third, four lengths

232 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

away. Cora and Xaintrailles were both giving
Paradox 4 lIb., but it was evident the latter
could have dispensed with the pull in weight
and still have won easily. Melton did not run
in the Dewhurst. Lonely, who won the Oaks
the following year, finished fourth. It will be
understood with what joy I saw Paradox play
with his opponents that day. The Duke’s
friends did not again come to see him rubbed
down! Nor did the Duke say anything to me
about the success of the horse he had so hastily
discarded, but I had reason to know he was
exceedingly vexed with himself for listening to
the chatter of his friends.

Paradox did not run again as a two-year-old.
All went well with him during the winter of
1884-85, and when, on April 30, we subjected
him to a formal trial, he amply realised our
expectations, as the following record shows:

One Mile

Paradox, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. .
Whipper-in, 6 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib.
Cambusmore, 4 yrs., 9 st.
Farewell, 3 yrs., 8 st.

Metal, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib.

Won easily by half a length; a head between
second and third; two lengths between third and
fourth ; four lengths between fourth and fifth.

Mm B&W N

This trial had a double purpose, for we were
“examining” Paradox for the Two Thousand

PARADOX 2.33

Guineas and Farewell for the One Thousand.
The result did not say much for Farewell’s
chance in the fillies’ race, but it encouraged us
to believe that Paradox was certain to win the
Two Thousand. And win he did, with odds
of 3 to 1 laid on him. But we experienced some
exciting moments before his number went up,
for it was by a head only that he got the better
of Crafton, a 200 to 7 chance, ridden by Tom
Cannon. There were many people who blamed
Archer for the way he handled Paradox that
day. The late Sir George Chetwynd echoed
the criticism.

« Crafton,” he wrote, “was marvellously ridden by
Cannon, whereas Archer, who had to make his own running
on the favourite, got a little bit urried, and did not ride as
well as usual. Wood, who was on the third (Child of the
Mist) told me after the race that, although no one ought to
know better than himself what a splendid jockey Archer
was, and no one was more ready to say so, still in this
instance he rode a bad race, and he expressed his belief
that Paradox would win the Derby. No doubt Cannon
would have won on Crafton but that Paradox swerved
and seriously interfered with him in the last few strides.”

With all due respect to Sir George Chetwynd
(who died in 1917) and Charles Wood, that
version of the affair is founded on a misappre-
hension. Paradox had his peculiarities. One of
them was a rooted objection to making running.
He was also a lazy horse. In the Two Thousand,

234 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Paradox and Crafton were at the head of the
field in the Dip, a furlong from the goal. Cannon,
on Crafton, kept just behind Paradox all the way
up the hill, intending to make his effort just on
the post. This he did, and the scheme all but
fructified. It was a most exciting race to watch,
especially to those who were aware of Paradox’s
weakness. At the finish the two horses were
running side by side, and it was obvious that
Archer was having to bring all his cunning to
bear in order to keep Paradox in a persevering
humour. There was an impression that Crafton
had his head in front a stride or two past the
post. That might well be, because the instant
Archer relaxed his efforts Paradox would become
slack.

Crafton, who was a son of Kisber, showed
form in the Two Thousand which he never
reproduced. As a two-year-old he won the
Halnaker Stakes at Goodwood the first time out;
and in the Rous Plate at Doncaster ran Lonely
to a neck. The Guineas was his first race as a
three-year-old. The following season he won
the Stewards’ Cup (six furlongs) at Goodwood.
Though I shall have occasion to make a further
reference to Farewell, I may as well state here
that she surprised us, and the sporting world
in general, by winning the One Thousand

Guineas in a canter by three lengths from a —

big field.

ees is ea Sg Fi eRe is

x

PARADOX 235

Paradox did not run again before the Derby.
At Epsom he once more met Melton and
Xaintrailles, both of whom started better
favourites than our colt, the betting reading :
75 to 40 against Melton, 4 to 1 Xaintrailles,
6 to 1 Paradox. There were nine other runners,
including Crafton, who had many supporters at
100 to 15. Melton’s only outing that season
before the Derby was in the Payne Stakes at
the Newmarket Second Spring Meeting. He
then won comfortably from Kingwood and
Lonely. Xaintrailles, owned by M. Lupin,
had won three races in France, one being the
French Two Thousand.

Archer was not able to ride Paradox in the
Derby ; Matt Dawson required him for Melton.
From our point of view this was most unfortu-
nate, because Archer knew all about Paradox
and his little weaknesses. There was probably
no other jockey, unless it was Tom Cannon,
who could have got Paradox beaten in the
Derby. I engaged Fred Webb to ride our colt,
and so thrust upon him somewhat unenviable
responsibilities. All the bookmakers seemed
anxious to lay against Paradox. Eventually it
came to our knowledge there was a rumour
afloat that Webb had been “got at.” After
Webb had weighed-out for Paradox, Mr. Cloete
told him of the statements that were being made,
and said: ‘‘ Whatever they have offered you, I

236 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

will give you double if you win.” The final
arrangement was that Webb and I were to
divide the stake (£4525) between us if Paradox
was first past the post.

I never had the smallest reason for thinking,
much less believing, that our jockey contem-
plated “selling the pass.”” The rumour did him
a foul injustice, and nothing would have been

more gratifying to me than to have seen long
faces pulled by those who had financially inter- —

ested themselves in the race in accordance with
the idea that Paradox was a negligible quantity,

not because he sm, ae necessary ability, but

because everything was not “on the square.”

Fortunately, perhaps, for Webb and the rest of ©

us, the race gave the lie to those who had busied __

themselves in circulating the false accusation.
The Derby has rarely produced a more

thrilling finish. After decisively disposing of —

Xaintrailles a furlong or so from the goal,
Paradox appeared to have the race well won.

And he most assuredly would have won but for —

his rooted dislike to leading the field. Archer
was inside the distance before he took Melton
to within striking distance of Paradox. Then

he waited patiently until about fifty yards from ©
home. From that point to the winning-post a —
tremendous struggle was seen. The onlookers —

lashed themselves into a state of intense excite-

ment. Melton got his head in front only to be —

PARADOX 237

re-headed twenty yards from home. Then
Archer, who had prepared himself for this
emergency, used his whip. One swish with it
sufficed ; Melton got in front with the stride
that carried him to the post. Judge Clark

- afterwards said to me: ‘‘ Your horse had won

everywhere except at the winning-post. One
stride later he was a neck in front.” This
description was not, I should say, strictly
accurate, but it sufficiently indicates the touch-
and-go character of the finish of a memorable
Derby. Webb rode a splendid race, and he
would have done both himself and me a very
good turn but for the masterly tactics, and
the grim determination, displayed by Archer.
Royal Hampton finished a bad third.

Melton and Paradox had shown themselves
as two-year-olds the best of their year, and by
running right away from the field in the Derby
they emphatically endorsed their right to be
regarded as much superior to any of their con-
temporaries.

A few days later I took Paradox to Paris to
run for the Grand Prix. He won the race
easily (ridden by Archer) from Reluisant, who
had won the French Derby in a canter by five
lengths. Paradox thus proved himself a
thorough stayer, and it was a great pity he was
not engaged in the St. Leger, for it would have
been interesting to witness, on the Town Moor

238 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

at Doncaster, a renewal of the Epsom battle
with Melton, who won the St. Leger by six
lengths from Isobar. Paradox, at Goodwood,
won the Sussex Stakes, giving Royal Hampton
9 lb. and a three-quarter-length beating. In
the autumn, at Newmarket, he readily defeated,
though the verdict was only a neck, his former
stable companion Duke of Richmond, and in
the Free Handicap carried 9 st. 2 Ib. to victory.
We had intended running Paradox in the
Cambridgeshire. All the necessary arrange-
ments were completed. Some of the patrons of
the stable had backed the colt to win a substantial
sum, and the public also helped themselves
pretty freely. When the weights made their
appearance Mr. Brodrick Cloete was in Mexico,
where he had big business interests. It was
not, I believe, until he reached New York, on
his way home, that he learned that Paradox was
handicapped at 8 st. 12 Ib. On arriving in
London, and without consulting me or any one
connected with the stable, he went to Weatherby’s
and struck his horse out of the race. Having
“done the deed,” Mr. Cloete came down to
Kingsclere by the first available train and gave
me the news. It astounded me. There was a
great hullabaloo. Naturally we were all very
vexed. I told Mr. Cloete frankly that he had
most seriously injured his reputation as a sports-
man, and at the same time had done a great

- PARADOX 239

injustice to the other patrons of the stable, for,
as I have previously explained, all horses at
Kingsclere were, so to say, kept in common.
We allowed no secrets and no jealousies.

The general impression outside the stable was
that the owner of Paradox had scratched his
horse simply because the cream of the market
had been skimmed during his absence abroad.
That was not, I believe, the real reason. My
impression has always been that Mr. Cloete came
to the conclusion Paradox had no chance in the
Cambridgeshire with so big a weight on his back.
Nevertheless, he ought not to have acted so
impetuously, even if his surmise was correct. I[
was convinced at the time that Paradox could
have won the Cambridgeshire.

Two days after he had been to Kingsclere |
received from Mr. Cloete the following letter:

go PiccapiLty, W.,
6th Sept.

Dear Porrer—I am more than distressed at the
untoward manner in which the scratching of Paradox is
viewed.

I have written a short letter to the papers making a
simple statement of fact, and shall not enter further into
the matter in print.

There is no doubt—now that I have looked over the
back papers—that it was owing to my statements in
New York, to the effect that I should not run my horse
at the weight, that led to the opposition in the betting,
and had I realised, on landing, what had occurred while

240 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

I was at sea nothing would have induced me to scratch the
horse.

At any rate, you shall not suffer in the matter.

Unless you hear from me to the contrary, I shall
come down on Friday by the early train, if that arrives
in time for me to see the horses at work. I am afraid
I did not show my full appreciation of the full-dress
rehearsal you kindly gave me yesterday, but I was so
much upset about this “ scratching affair” that I could
think of little else. —Y ours truly,

W. Broprick Croere.

In a bundle of papers I have come across the
following statement in my own handwriting.
Apparently it was prepared with a view to
publication in the sporting papers, but I cannot
now say whether or not I sent it to those journals.
It is dated October 10, 1885, so was written
when all the circumstances were fresh in my
mind, and reads :

As the trainer of Paradox I should feel obliged by your
placing the following facts before the public relative to
his scratching for the Cambridgeshire.

Before leaving England, Mr. Brodrick Cloete came to
Kingsclere to see his horses and to make arrangements
concerning them during his absence. At that time
Paradox was entered for the Cesarewitch and the Cam-
bridgeshire, but the weights had not appeared.

It was suggested at that interview that whatever weight
the horse received for the Cesarewitch he should not run
in that race, as he had a valuable engagement (the
Champion Stakes) to be run for over a distance of one

PARADOX St gas

mile and a quarter two days after the Cesarewitch, and
training him to run the Cesarewitch Course would to
a certain extent prejudice his chance for that race.
Regarding the Cambridgeshire, he was to run if he
was favourably weighted. Mr. Cloete asked me at what
weight I thought the horse could win. I replied:

“Tsonomy won with 7 st. 4 lb. and could have won

with another stone. I think Paradox could win with
8 st. 4 lb.” It was only from comparison with what
other good horses had done that I could make that
suggestion. |

The mistake was that Mr. Brodrick Cloete came to
the conclusion his horse could have no possible chance
with 8 st. 12 !b., and unfortunately scratched him im-
mediately on his arrival in London, and before seeing me.
From the time Mr. Cloete left England for Mexico to
the time of his return we had no communication whatever
with one another.

I can only add, in justice to Mr. Brodrick Cloete,
that during the time he has trained in my stable his
racing policy has been most honourable and straight-

forward, — J. Porter.

Some of the patrons of the Kingsclere Stable
were so incensed by what had occurred that
there was only one possible solution of the
difficulty which had been so needlessly created.
Mr. Cloete’s horses had to leave Kingsclere at
the end of the season. Let me add that the
incident did not disturb the friendship between
Mr. Cloete and myself. We remained on the
best of terms to the day of his death. He was
one of the many hundreds who lost their lives in

R

242 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the Lusitania horror off the coast of Ireland in
the spring of 1915.

It was subsequent to this unfortunate Cam-
bridgeshire incident that Paradox easily won the
Champion Stakes. His splendid appearance and
the facile style in which he won the race excited
universal admiration, and renewed the regret
that he was not allowed to compete in the Cam-
bridgeshire, which was won by the three-year-old
French filly Plaisanterie, carrying 8 st. 12 Ib.,
including a 10 Ib. penalty incurred by winning
the Cesarewitch a fortnight previously.

Here is a copy of a card which happens to
have been preserved among my papers. How
I came by it I cannot say; probably it was sent
to me by a disgruntled backer :

IN MEMORIAM
PARADOX
WHO TOOK THE INEVITABLE
SCRATCH
ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1885.

A SELECT SYNDICATE OF BOOKMAKERS
SANG HIS REQUIEM, AND THE
BRITISH PUBLIC SUPPLIED THE

MONEY FOR HIS
BURIAL.

© THOU, WHATEVER TITLE SUIT THEE,
AULD HORNIE, SATAN, NICK, OR CLOOTIE.

PARADOX 243

Paradox did not run after his three-year-old
days. He went to the stud at Ecchinswell

_. House, near Newbury, and was advertised at

a fee of 30 guineas. He died when only eight
years old from an attack of inflammation of the
bowels. The best of his offspring were Unicorn,

-- who won the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood for

Mr. Cloete; and Sir Robert Jardine’s Red

Ensign, winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes
at Ascot, and who dead-heated with Shancrotha
for the Manchester Cup. I have always regarded
Paradox as a real good horse, who, if favoured
with a little more luck than came his way, would
never have been beaten.

We must now go back to 1884, for among
the two-year-olds at Kingsclere that season were
Farewell, Luminary, the Rebecca colt (afterwards
named Ptolemy), and Match Girl. Farewell was,
so to say, the forerunner of Ormonde (whose

_ story will presently engage our attention), for she

was more than half-sister to him. While both
were out of Lily Agnes, the filly was by Don-

caster, and the colt by Bend Or, son of Doncaster.

Beautifully moulded, Farewell was blessed with a
very sound constitution; but even when at her

_ best she was moderate, and only managed to

win two races for the Duke of Westminster. I
have already related how she surprised us by
gaining a victory in the One Thousand Guineas.
She remained in training for three seasons and

244 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

then went back to the paddocks at Eaton, where
she bred Adieu to St. Simon, Baddiley to Sheen,
and Just Cause to Best Man. She was twenty-
four years old when she died.

By Beauclerc out of Stella, by High Treason,
Luminary belonged to Lord Alington and his
partner, and for them won five races. He was
a pretty good horse as a two-year-old, when he
was successful in the Ascot Triennial, the Hurst-
bourne Stakes at Stockbridge, the July Stakes at
Newmarket (in which, at level weights, he de-
feated Melton by a head), and the Molecomb Stakes
at Goodwood. This was a promising record,

but as he got older his legs began to give trouble :

and he also went wrong in his wind. He wasa
good-looking, level-made brown horse, and went

tothe studin Ireland. He gained nodistinctionas _

a sire, except that one of his daughters became the
dam of Jerry M., winner of the Grand National.

The Rebecca colt carried Mr. John Gretton’s —
colours. He won races at Ascot and Manchester —
as a two-year-old, and also the Chesterfield
Nursery at Derby. Redskin is recorded as the ©
winner of the last-named race, but everybody —
except the judge was certain the Rebecca colt
(by Nuneham) was first past the post. Match —
Girl, who won two races (as a juvenile) at Stock-
bridge for Lord Alington and Sir Frederick
Johnstone, afterwards acquired fame as the dam

of Matchbox and Matchmaker.

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE

Tue year 1885 was a memorable one in the
history of Kingsclere, for it was that in which
Ormonde made his first appearance on the Turf.
I have already expressed the opinion that this
son of Bend Or and Lily Agnes was the greatest
horse I have ever known. There are some of
my contemporaries who think St. Simon was his
superior. As there is no means of proving
which of the two estimates is the correct one,
we must agree to differ. In any case, there is
unanimity on one point—both were wonderful
animals.

I am anxious to honour the memory of
Ormonde by relating the story of his career in
the fullest possible detail, so that future genera-
tions may be able to understand why he gained
such world-wide renown.

We must start the narrative with some
particulars about Lily Agnes, the dam of Or-
monde. In 1844 John Osborne (father of the
present bearer of that honoured name), a trainer
and breeder at Middleham, bought at Shrewsbury,

245

246 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

for fourteen sovereigns, a mare called Annette,
by Priam. She had at foot a filly foal, who
received the name Agnes. In due course this
daughter was mated with Birdcatcher, and the
result of the alliance was the filly Miss Agnes.
When the late Sir Tatton Sykes was re-forming
the Sledmere Stud after the death of his father
in 1863, he bought Miss Agnes from John ~
Osborne, and mated her with The Cure. She ~—
produced a weedy-looking filly foal. Sir Tatton —
took an intense dislike to the youngster, and
gave her to his old stud-groom, Snarry, stipu-
lating, however, that she must leave Sledmere.
Snarry accordingly sent the despised foal to his
son, who had a farm at Malton, a few miles
away. The name Polly Agnes was bestowed
on the youngster, who was reared with a single
eye to her possibilities as a brood mare. When
old enough she was put to Macaroni, and the
produce was Lily Agnes, who, when in training,
was contemptuously described as “‘ a light-fleshed,
ragged-hipped, lop-eared filly.” But despite
these defects she was endowed with great racing
ability, and won no fewer than twenty-one races,
including the Northumberland Plate, the Don-
caster Cup, and the Great Ebor Handicap.

Lily Agnes, when still the property of Mr.
Snarry, was sent to Eaton to be mated with
Doncaster. Richard Chapman, the stud-groom,
liked her so much that he urged the Duke of

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 247

Westminster to buy her. His Grace had not,
however, made up his mind to do so when the |
mare was ready to go back home; but a few
weeks later he sent Chapman to Malton to
examine and report upon her. Eventually the
Duke decided to buy, but made the stipulation
with Snarry that the price should not be dis-
closed. It was not until after Ormonde had won
the St. Leger Chapman learned that the Duke
gave for Lily Agnes £2500, and two free sub-
scriptions to Bend Or, whose fee was then 200
guineas. The Duke afterwards bought Lizzie
Agnes, sister to Lily Agnes and dam of Orwell.

When Lily Agnes became the property of the
Duke she was already the dam of Narcissus and
Eastern Lily, both by Speculum, and both
devoid of racing value. To the mating with
Doncaster in 1880 she produced the colt Ros-
sington, who, having also failed to win a race,
went to America. In 1881 the mare was again
put to Doncaster, and this time the produce was
the filly Farewell, who, as already recorded, was
successful in the One Thousand Guineas.

A practice frequently adopted at the Eaton
Stud was that of mating a mare who had thrown
a good foal to a given sire with the best son of
that sire. This course was adopted with Lily
Agnes in 1882, though it cannot have been
resorted to in her case because of the merits of
Rossington and Farewell, for they were but

248 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE
yearling and foal when Lily Agnes was for. the

first time allied with Bend Or. Ormonde was 2

the result of this alliance.

“It was,” relates Chapman, “at half-past six on
Sunday evening, March 18, 1883, that Ormonde was
born. I was getting ready to go to Eaton Church (the
Duke expected all of us to attend) when I was summoned
to the box, in the big stud-yard, occupied by Lily Agnes.
Ormonde was an extraordinary foal. When he came
into the world his mane was already three inches long.
His mother had carried him twelve months, although for
two or three weeks she had shown the normal signs of
approaching foaling. For several months Ormonde ~
stood very much over at the knee. I had never before, —
and have never since, seen a foal with this characteristic —
so pronounced. It seemed impossible for him ever to
grow straight. But he did, though the improvement
was very gradual.

«Did the Duke at that time regard Ormonde asa
wonder? No, I should say not. Like a good many ~
others who came to the stud that year, the Duke pre-
ferred Kendal and Whitefriar, who were contemporaries
of Ormonde. He was one of the slow-maturing sort was
Ormonde. In his early days he was a three-cornered
beggar that might be anything or nothing. When he

did begin to develop on the right lines he went ahead

very quickly, and when he left Eaton to go to Kingsclere
to be trained, looked a high-class horse.”

Ormonde was a yearling at Eaton when I ©
first saw him. It was in the spring, and he was —
then a big, overgrown colt. When, in the —
autumn, he arrived at Kingsclere, I told the Duke —

i
|

|

- |
|
= |

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 249

he was the best yearling he had so far sent to me.
I believe His Grace did not think very highly of
the youngster at that time. During the ensuing
winter the colt was sorely troubled with splints
under both knees, which prevented him flexing
his knees properly. The growths were, however,
dispersed by applications of Ossidine, a prepara-
tion I have always found to be the best remedy
for bony excrescences.

The treatment Ormonde had to undergo
threw him back considerably, and until the late
summer of 1885 I merely gave him easy canter-
ing exercise. It would be about the beginning
of August that he began to do serious work.
His progress was steady and continuous, and on
October 7 we gave him a rough gallop with
Kendal, the ever-reliable Whipper-in, and White-
friar—the last-named a two-year-old, by Hermit,
who had not yet raced. Here is the record of
the “ trial ”’:

Six Furlongs

Kendal, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib.

Ormonde, 2 yrs., 8 st. 8 lb.

Whipper-in, 6 yrs., 9 st. 6 Ib. .
Whitefriar, 2 yrs.,

pW N

Won by a length; another length between second
and third, and two lengths between third and fourth.

In order that the true inwardness of that
rough gallop may be appreciated it is necessary
‘to review very briefly the short racing career of

250 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Kendal. A chestnut by Bend Or out of
Windermere, he was a leggy colt, standing, as
a two-year-old, about 15.3. He was fairly well
proportioned, but somewhat light of bone, and
unduly heavy about the neck. Still, apart from
his somewhat slender limbs, there was not much
fault to be found with him. He shaped well in
his early two-year-old days, and I had him ready
in May to run at Chester, where he won the
Mostyn Plate, for which he started an odds-on
favourite. At Ascot, in the contest for the New
Stakes, he was beaten into second place by
Saraband, a colt by Muncaster who that season
won six races out of eight. Kendal then won
five races off the reel—the Post Sweepstakes at
Stockbridge, the “July” at Newmarket, the
Ham Stakes at Goodwood, the “‘ Convivial ” at
York, and the Municipal Stakes at Doncaster.
His only other outing was in the Rous Memorial
at Newmarket. Unfortunately he broke down
in that race and was never able to run again.
Chapman tells us that when Ormonde and
Kendal were foals the Duke of Westminster
preferred the latter. His Grace must have
changed his mind the following year, because
when the entries for the Derby were made
Kendal was not nominated.

It will be gathered from the foregoing
summary of Kendal’s performances prior to his —
breakdown that he was a useful sort of two-year-

——————oooeeOr er ee -_ —_ =

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 251

old to put in a trial. When the gallop took
place Ormonde was still nothing like fit, and by
finishing so close to Kendal, and beating Whipper-
in a length at a difference of 12 lb., he showed me
what he was likely to do when I had him ready
for racing.

By this time Ormonde measured 16 hands.
He had developed splendidly, and was a grand-
looking horse. His quarters were exceptionally
powerful, and, though rather short, his neck was
the most muscular I ever saw a thoroughbred
possess. He had good bone, beautifully-laid
shoulders, a very strong back, and rather straight
hocks. Although in his slow paces he had not
a very taking action, he was a free mover. There
was immense propelling power behind the saddle.
His ears were inclined to lop. The width of his
head behind the ears was remarkable; I never
came across another horse that showed this
characteristic to such an extent. Ormonde had
a most amicable disposition and a wonderful
constitution. He was a great “‘ doer,” and never
gave us any trouble. He would eat anything
the man (Marlow) who “did” him offered.
Cakes, apples—everything seemed to be accept-
able. When galloping he carried his head rather
low and covered an amazing lot of ground at
each stride when extended.

After Ormonde had shown himself to be a
wonderful horse, the Duke of Westminster, when

252 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

at Kingsclere one day, rode him a couple of
canters. After he had pulled up I asked his
Grace what he thought of his mount. He
replied: “I felt every moment that I was going
to be shot over his head, his propelling power
is so terrific.’”’ Another day I myself got on
Ormonde’s back just to be able to say I had
been there, but I never rode him on the Downs.
Half-way through October, then, Ormonde
was ready to race. He held an engagement in
the Middle Park Plate, but we thought it better

An ea SPE henge = Sa ge eA

that he should make a beginning in an event ©
of less importance. The one chosen was a

Post Sweepstakes of £200 each, decided over —

the Bretby Stakes course of six furlongs at

Newmarket. This happened to be the race
immediately preceding the Middle Park Plate, ©

which in those days was run on the Wednesday

of the Second October Meeting. The Middle —
Park that year was won by Mr. Vyner’s Minting, —
who gave Mr. “ Benholm’s” Braw Lass 9 Ib. and

a neck beating; Saraband, carrying the same
weight as the winner, was a very close third.

Ormonde in his race had only two opponents —

—the Duke of Portland’s Modwena and the Duke

of Hamilton’s Warbler. It was, therefore, quite —
a “ducal” affair. Modwena was a filly by

Galopin out of Mowerina; she had previously
run in ten races and won eight of them, the
eighth being the Bretby Stakes, in which she was

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 253

successful an hour or so before she met Ormonde.
The latter was called upon to give Modwena
1 lb. only; nevertheless the filly started favourite,
odds of 6 to 5 being laid on her. Against
Ormonde 5 to 4 was betted. Warbler, who was
also making his first appearance in public, was
ignored by speculators. With Archer in the
saddle, Ormonde beat Modwena a length. It
was a soaking wet day and the going was very
heavy. We were quite satisfied with this result,
but, so far as I remember, it did not specially
interest the public, whose attention was for the
moment focussed on Minting (as yet unbeaten),
Saraband, St. Mirin, and the other competitors
for the Middle Park Plate. Little did the critics
realise that the colt from Kingsclere who had
just made so unpretentious a debut was destined
twelve months later to be looked upon as “ the
horse of the century.” Nor did I, though I was
convinced, after the rough gallop with Kendal,
that Ormonde was a good horse. Time had still
to show how good.

In an earlier chapter I have described how,
in the days of Sir Joseph Hawley, I used to take
nearly all my horses to Newmarket before the
First October Meeting and keep them there
until the conclusion of the Houghton Meeting a
month later. The adoption by the Jockey Club
of a new rule, imposing the Heath tax on visiting
horses remaining at Newmarket more than a

254 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

week, caused me to abandon that plan. Or-
monde, therefore, after winning his first race,
returned to Kingsclere, but he went to New-
market again for the Houghton Meeting, at
which he won the Criterion Stakes and the
Dewhurst Plate.

The Criterion was in the first day’s programme
—Monday’s. In this race he was opposed by
‘““ Mr. Manton’s”’ (the Duchess of Montrose’s)
Oberon, Prince Soltykoff’s Mephisto, and three
others. Mephisto, who had won a couple of
races at the First October Meeting, was supposed
to be the chief danger, but 6 to 4 was laid on
Ormonde, and he won in a canter by three
lengths from Oberon, with Mephisto a bad third.
The race was run up the Criterion hill, the win-
ning post being at the “ Top of the Town,”
close to the road that leads to the Rowley Mile
Stands. The ease with which Ormonde disposed
of his opponents opened the eyes of the public
to his merits. The Criterion, by the way,
happened to be one of my lucky races, for it was
won ten times by horses I trained. There were
eleven runners for the Dewhurst Plate, decided

on the Wednesday. In addition to Ormonde j |

I saddled Whitefriar, who, ridden by George
_ Barrett, finished second, four lengths behind
Ormonde. Among the runners were Miss
Jummy, then a winner of three races, and

- who. won the One Thousand and Oaks the

x F tel ag TES ee Cas Se eee arte

ES,

a ae

SS ——_- saw

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 255

following year; and Gay Hermit, already a
winner of seven races.

That success completed Ormonde’s two-year-
old career. Sportsmen had plenty to talk about
during the ensuing winter months, for there
were several strong candidates for classic honours
in 1886. The Minting party were still very
cock-a-hoop. Many people had a great fancy
for The Bard, a chestnut colt by Petrarch, and

an unbeaten winner of sixteen races as a two-

year-old. There were also Saraband, St. Mirin,
Gay Hermit, and others that came into the
argument.

Ormonde wintered well, growing more muscu-
lar, especially about the quarters, which developed
a tremendously powerful appearance. When the
spring came round I did not think it necessary
to subject him to a formal trial; we knew he was
well, and that was all we wanted to know.

The Saturday before the Two Thousand
Guineas saw him again at Newmarket. On the
Sunday morning I took my horses on to the
Bury Hill gallops by the side of the Plantation,
and there I met Matt Dawson with his string.
He and I were the only trainers on that portion
of the Heath. We pulled up our hacks
and exchanged greetings. After the customary
formalities Matt said: ‘“‘ I’ll show you the best
horse you have ever seen in your life, John.”

Thereupon he called to the boy riding Minting

256 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

to come over to us. I examined the colt with
critical and admiring eyes. ‘‘ Yes,’’ I confessed,
“he’s a magnificent specimen of a racehorse.”

After we had discussed Minting for quite an
appreciable time, I suggested that we should
have a look at Ormonde. When my candidate
for the Guineas had come over for inspection,
Matt looked him up and down and went all
round him. Then he delivered his verdict.
‘‘ A very nice horse—a very nice horse indeed,”
he said; ‘‘ but mine is better here, and better
there.” He declined to admit that Ormonde
compared favourably with Minting. Finally he
lapsed into prophecy. “ When,” he declared,
“the race is being run you will hear them shout-
ing Ormonde and Saraband home ; but when
they get into the Dip it will be ‘ Minting!’ and
nothing else. My horse will leave ’em all there,
John, you'll see.”

“Don’t be too confident, Matt,” was my
rejoinder. “In all probability it is in the Dip
that Minting himself will get left behind.” Matt
smiled. It was a scornful smile. I knew he was
thinking me foolish for entertaining the idea I
had expressed. At that moment no amount of
talking would have shaken the supreme faith he __
had in Minting’s ability to beat his rivals in the ©
Two Thousand or any other race.

Saraband and Ormonde were stabled in Ald-
croft’s yard off the High Street. There were a

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 257

few boxes between them. Saraband, owned by
Mr. (afterwards Sir) Blundell Maple, was kept
under the closest surveillance. A passage ran
the whole length of the stable between the outside
wall and the boxes, and in this, opposite Sara-
band’s box, there was a bed on which an attendant
slept), Outside there were two watchmen on
guard. We, too, were looking well after Or-
monde, and had a man sleeping in the passage.
When I was at the stables on the Tuesday
evening (the day before the race) Mr. Maple,
who was then racing as “ Mr. Childwick,” came
into the yard and inquired for his trainer, Robert
Peck. Hearing him calling, I went out, and we
began talking about the Two Thousand. He
told me he thought Saraband had a great chance
of winning. I casually remarked that he was
certainly taking great care of the horse. Then,
in a chafing sort of way, I added: ‘“‘ You take
care of him to-night, and Ormonde will look
after him to-morrow.” He laughed and went
away, for I had told him Peck had gone to dine
with some friends.

Mr. Maple had engaged Archer to ride
Saraband both in the Guineas and the Derby,
and paid the jockey a big sum down for the
“claim.” As it happened, Saraband did not
tun in the Derby, and so Archer was able to
ride Ormonde at Epsom; but at Newmarket I

had to put George Barrett on the son of Bend Or.
S

258 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

I do not wish it to be understood that I was
doubtful about Barrett’s ability to do Ormonde
justice. His style of riding was the nearest
approach to George Fordham’s I had ever seen.
He had beautiful ‘ hands.” There were times,
it is true, when Barrett’s behaviour in the saddle
was erratic. His eccentricities became more
pronounced towards the end of his career, when
his brain was affected. It was, I am persuaded,
this affliction that accounted for the way he
bungled his business when he rode La Fléche in
the Derby. He made a lot of money as a
jockey, and many people thought he was un-
scrupulous. I, however, had no reason to
believe that he was, except on one occasion to
which reference will be made later.

The race for the Two Thousand Guineas is
thus recorded in the official Calendar :

The 2000 Gurngas Stakes, of 100 sovs. each, h.ft., for
three-years-old ; colts 9 st.; fillies 8 st. 9 lb.; the second

received 200 sovs. out of the Stakes and the third saved his i

Stake. R.M. (82 subs.—£4000).
Duke of Westminster’s b.c. Ormonde, by

Bend Or . ; : ; . G. Barrett 1 ‘

Mr. R. Vyner’s b.c. Minting ‘ ‘ . . Watts 2 —
Prince Soltykoff’s ch.c. Mephisto . ‘ R . Cannon 3
Mr. Childwick’s ch.c. Saraband . ; . . Archer 4 —
Mr. Manton’s br.c. St. Mirin ‘ . F. Barrett 5

Duke of Westminster’s bl.c. Coracle . : . Viney 6

te we

peg eee Se LS

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Lae

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sr a

Ir to 10 against Minting, 3 to 1 Saraband, 7 to 2 Or- ;
monde, 100 to 3 each St. Mirin and Mephisto, and 200 to 1 —

Coracle. Won by two lengths ; a bad third.

Sige

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 259

Having regard to what I had said to Matt
Dawson and Mr. Maple, it follows that I must
have looked upon Ormonde that day as a very
sound 7 to 2 chance. We started Coracle with
a view to his making a good pace for Ormonde
in the early stages of the race. My orders to
Viney were that he was to come along as fast as

ever he could the moment the flag fell. His

determination to carry out my instructions led
to his causing annoyance to the starter, Lord
Marcus Beresford. Viney conceived the idea of
poaching several lengths’ lead at the outset, and,
in furtherance of his scheme, showed no inclina-
tion to line up with the other horses, but remained
some way in advance. I was told afterwards
that when ordered to join them, he exclaimed, in

an injured tone, ‘‘ What is the use of me coming

down there when I have to make running for
Ormonde?” He had, of course, to line up with
the others, and, so far as Coracle is concerned, it
only remains to be added that his pace-making
mission was a dire failure.

Ormonde, however, stood in no need of
assistance. From first to last he was master of
the situation. A long way from home the issue
rested between Ormonde and Minting, and the
latter was definitely and decisively beaten just
where I told Matt Dawson he would be—coming
out of the Dip a furlong from the winning-post.
Poor Matt was terribly crestfallen. Immediately

260 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

after the race he went home. I afterwards heard ~
that he shut himself in his bedroom and stopped
there for the rest of the week. Be that as it
may, we saw him no more on the racecourse
while the meeting lasted. ¥

The world at large now knew that Ormonde —
was a really great horse. Countless columns
were written in praise of him. Those of us who _
‘knew him best were aware that it was almost _
impossible to exaggerate his merits. Between
the Two Thousand and the Derby he progressed _
as well as I could have wished, and there was no
need to “try” him for the race at Epsom. In ~
my opinion horses are tried on the training- —
ground much too often. Once you have ascer-
tained what class your horse is in you merely —
want to know that he is well and hearty. To
go through the formalities of a trial when you _
have that knowledge is to reveal a want of —
confidence in your own judgment. Many and _
many a time a race has been lost on the trial
ground by giving a horse the one unnecessary
gallop at home. a |

Neither Minting nor Saraband opposed Or-
monde in the Derby. Matt Dawson accepted
the Two Thousand form as correct, and very
wisely decided to keep Minting fresh for the
Grand Prix de Paris, which he won in a canter.
Mr. ‘ Childwick” also realised the futility of f
opposing our horse at Epsom, and so Archer

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 261

was at liberty to ride Ormonde. Perhaps I|
had better explain here that jockeys attached to
my stable were employed by the stable “‘as a
whole.” Supposing we paid a jockey a retainer
of £2000; we ascertained the number of times
he had ridden for each patron, who then paid
his due proportion of the retainer.

Ormonde won the Derby easily by a length
and a half from The Bard. The latter was a
really good and game little horse, but Ormonde
settled him in two-strides. The official record
is as follows:

| The one hundred and seventh renewal of the Dersy Stakes

of 50 sovs. each, h.ft., for three-year-olds; colts 9 st., fillies
8 st. 9 lb.; the second received 300 sovs. and the third 150 sovs,
out of the stakes. About a mile and a half, starting at the New
High Level Starting-Post. (199 subs.—{4700).

Duke of Westminster’s b.c. Ormonde, by

Bend Or _ . re RES , . Archer I
Mr. R. Peck’s ch.c. The Bard ; os) Roe Wood: 2
Mr. Manton’s br.c. St. Mirin ‘ é . Cannon 3
Duke of Beaufort’s br.c. Button Park . . G. Barrett 4
Duke of Beaufort’s b.c. Ariel : ‘ : . Wilton —
Lord Calthorpe’s b.c. Scherzo . J. Osborne —
‘Duke of Westminster’s bl.c. Coracle ‘ . Webb -
Lord Zetland’s gr.c. Grey Friars . j . . Watts —
Mr. G. Lambton’s b.c. Chelsea. ‘ . J. Goater —

9 to 4 on Ormonde, 7 to 2 against The Bard, 25 to 1
Grey Friars, 40 to 1 each Chelsea and St. Mirin, 1000 to 15
each Scherzo and Button Park, and 500 to 1 each Ariel and
Coracle. Won by a length and a half; a bad third; a head
between third and fourth,

262 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

It is mentioned on a former page that The
Bard went through the season of 1885 unbeaten,
and won that year sixteen races. As a three-
year-old he had not run before the Derby. He
had shown himself to be a little wonder as a
juvenile, so there was some excuse for the belief
entertained in many quarters that he had a
chance of beating Ormonde. But the saying
that “a good big ’un will always beat a good
little ’un ’’ was once again proved true. Coracle
was again sent to the post to make running for
Ormonde, and was again of little or no use.
The race was virtually a match between the first
and second favourites all the way round. At
the top of the hill, with seven furlongs to go,
there were four or five other horses in front of
them. They drew nearer to the front approach-
ing Tattenham Corner, coming round which
Ormonde, close to the rails, gained a couple of
lengths from The Bard.

When headed for home the two horses began
to draw away from the others. Running under
pressure, The Bard ranged up alongside Ormonde,
on whom Archer was riding a very confident
race. It was not until he was inside the distance
that Archer began to move ; but the moment he

called on his mount the contest was virtually — |

over. Lengthening his stride, Ormonde shot
ahead, to win in a canter. The judge, Mr.

Clark, afterwards declared that he had never 3

|
} THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 263

seen a race won more easily. Ormonde had a
great reception when he returned to the weighing-
room enclosure, into which he was, according to
custom, led by the Duke.

I was now absolutely certain that in Ormonde
I had the best horse that had ever been under
my care, though I realised this more strongly
still when he met and defeated Bendigo. Look

at the horses Ormonde defeated! He was a

giant among giants.

At Ascot, Ormonde won the St. James’s
Palace Stakes from Calais and Seaton, and in
the Hardwicke Stakes beat Melton and three
others. His next race was the St. Leger at
Doncaster. He held a couple of engagements
at Goodwood, but I hold that a horse who is to
be asked to make a serious effort to win the St.
Leger should not race between Ascot and Don-
caster. You cannot hope to keep a horse per-
petually up to concert pitch ; there should be a
period during which he can ease off and pick
up something to work on in the months that
follow. This plan cannot be adopted satis-
factorily if your horse has to race at Goodwood
five or six weeks before the Doncaster Meeting.
I generally put my theory into practice when
given a free hand. John Scott, who trained so
many winners of the St. Leger, attributed his
success in connection with that race very largely
to the rest he gave his horses in the summer.

264 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

The winning of the St. Leger was a very easy
task for Ormonde. The return reads:

The St. Lecer Stakes of 25 sovs. each, for three-years-old ;
colts 9 st., fillies 8 st. rr lb.; the second received 200 sovs.
and the third 100 sovs. out of the stakes. Old St. Leger Course,
one mile, six furlongs, and 132 yards. (191 subs.— £4450.)

Duke of Westminster’s b.c. Ormonde, by

Bend Or_ . ; : ; : , . Archer 1

Mr. Manton’s br.c. St. Mirin , . G., Barrett 2

‘Mr. T. Jennings’s b.c. Exmoor . ; . J. Goater 3
Mr. Douglas Baird’s b.c. St. Michael . : . Cannon 4

Duke of Westminster’s bl.c. Coracle . R . Webb 5

Mr. J. Lowther’s ch.c. Easington . . , . Watts 6

Mr. R. Vyner’s br.g. Lord Lumley _. . J. Osborne 7

7 to 1 on Ormonde, roo to 7 against St. Mirin, 25 to 1
St. Michael, and too to 1 each the others. Won by four
lengths; a bad third.

The Yorkshire sporting people honoured
Ormonde with their attention and their cheers.
When at exercise on the Town Moor the morning
of the day before the race he was mobbed by
admirers.

After the St. Leger was over, the Duke of
Westminster told me he would like to make me
a present. Would I have £500 or take Kendal ?
I decided to accept Kendal. The late Lord
Wolverton was just then forming a stud at Iwerne
Minster, near Blandford in Dorsetshire, and
wanted a stallion. I leased Kendal to him for
three years at £300 a year, giving him the option
of buying the horse during that period for £1200.

——__-—_—

_ =,”

le a ee ——<—_

a EE EE I eS

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 265

Kendal’s fee was 25 guineas. Lord. Wolverton
died before the lease had run its course, and Lady
Wolverton asked if I would mind taking Kendal
back. I agreed to do so. Having no use for
him myself, I sold him to Mr. John Gubbins for
£3000. Kendal then went to the Knockany
Stud, Co. Limerick, and there became the sire
of Galtee More and other good horses. Mr.
Gubbins eventually sold him to Major Platt for
18,000 guineas, and Kendal was for a few years
located at the Bruntwood Stud in Cheshire.
Finally, he was sold to the proprietors of the Ojo
de Agua Stud in Argentina for, I think, £8000.
He was a great success in the Argentine, where
he died in 1908.

At the Newmarket First October Meeting
Ormonde won the Great Foal Stakes, beating
his stable companion Whitefriar, and Mephisto.
The same week he walked over for the New-
market St. Leger, on which occasion I gave him
a lead on my grey hack Jack. This seemed to
amuse the onlookers, who shouted to me, ‘‘ Go
on, John, or he’ll beat you!’ A fortnight later,
with odds of 100 to 1 laid on him, Ormonde won
the Champion Stakes from two opponents; and at
the Houghton Meeting he won the Free Handi-
cap by eight lengths, carrying 9 st. 2 lb., and
giving 2 st. each to Mephisto and Theodore.
Having regard to what Mephisto had done, this
was a wonderful performance. The following

266 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

day Ormonde walked over for the Private Sweep-
stakes of £1000 each, half forfeit, Lord Hastings
paying forfeit for Melton and Peck for The Bard.
Melton (four years old) and Ormonde were to
carry 8 st. 10 lb. each and The Bard 8 st. The
owners of Melton and The Bard were not anxious
that Ormonde should have the opportunity of
showing what he could do with their horses. He —
would have made a rare example of them. This —
was the last time Archer was on Ormonde’s back.
On the Wednesday of that week he rode St. Mirin
in the Cambridgeshire at 8 st. 7 lb., which was
1 lb. more than the horse was handicapped to
carry. He had had to waste desperately hard to —
go to scale so light, and then had the mortification _
of seeing his mount beaten a head by The Sailor
Prince, a six-year-old horse carrying 7 st. 7 lb.
A few days later Archer was laid low by a serious
illness, and in a fit of delirium shot himself. I
cannot recall that Archer ever drew a comparison

between St. Simon and Ormonde. He was

always an enthusiastic admirer of Ormonde, and
when riding him never for an instant entertained —
a thought of being beaten. Ormonde, by the —
way, could have given St. Mirin 21 lb. and a ©
beating, so that he could have won the Cam- ©
bridgeshire as a three-year-old carrying 10 st.! —
Shortly after his defeat in the Cambridgeshire, —
St. Mirin was bought by the Duke of —
Westminster. If he had a special reason

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 267

for the purchase I cannot remember what it
was.

Archer was an extremely “ brainy ” jockey, but
not so finished a horseman as Fordham. He
developed a style of hisown. His body was short

| and his legs long, and he used the latter as if they

were a pair of tongs gripping a horse’s body.
As a rule he rode with a slack rein, and sometimes
at the finish of a race was half-way up the horse’s
neck. His success was largely due to his wonder-
ful energy, his determination, and his pluck.
His whole heart and soul were in the business he
had in hand. He was almost invariably the first
to weigh out, the first at the starting-post, the
first away when the flag fell, and, as the records
show, very often the first to pass the winning-
post. I am afraid he was not too scrupulous.
Very masterful, he generally had pretty much
his own way, especially in minor races. If he
did not want a horse to run, he never hesitated to
suggest to the owner that he should keep the
animal in the stable that day. In short, Fred
Archer was a powerful personality as well as a
brilliantly successful jockey.

The satisfaction I derived from Ormonde’s
performances that year was sadly discounted by

_ a discovery I made on the Kingsclere Downs one

misty morning shortly before he won the St.
Leger. As Ormonde galloped past me I heard

him makea whistling noise. I was dumbfounded.

268 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

The idea that the horse I almost worshipped was
afflicted with wind infirmity distressed me in a
way I cannot describe. I hardly slept at all the
following night. My mind would dwell on the
fact that Ormonde had become a victim of that
scourge roaring !_ I at once wrote to the Duke,
who was naturally deeply grieved by the news.
At that period the ailment was very slight, but it
gradually got worse.

During the winter of 1886-87 Ormonde was
electrically treated. The electric sponge was
applied every day to the paralysed nerve in his
throat. The process occupied about half an
hour. At first Ormonde did not take at all kindly
to this “doctoring,” but he presently became ~
accustomed to it, and took no notice. I have ~
reason to think he derived no benefit from the —

treatment; nevertheless, we persevered, for there

seemed to be no other remedy to try. 4

When Ormonde resumed work in the spring _
of 1887 he had become a pronounced “ whistler.” _
One morning, when there was a thick fog on the ~
Downs, we could hear him breathing when he ©

was nearly half a mile away. Of course the fog
helped to carry and magnify the noise. The

Duke, who was with me, remarked sadly, ‘i

““T’m afraid there’s not much doubt about it — |

now.”

As a four-year-old Ormonde did not run until — | |
the Ascot Meeting. The week before Ascot he

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE — 269

was tried at Kingsclere. The result is thus
recorded in my book:

June 3—One Mile
Ormonde, 4 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. I
Spot, 3 yrs., 6 st. . 2
St. Mirin, 4 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. ate
Kingfisher, 3 yrs., 8 st. . ‘ : . ee
d

Won by two lengths; six lengths between secon
and third.

Four days later, the first of the Ascot Meeting,
St. Mirin, receiving 10 lb., ran Minting to a
length for the Jubilee Cup over a mile. Bendigo,
carrying the same weight as Minting, finished a
bad third. We then knew that, roarer though
he was, Ormonde had not lost his form, or very
little of it.

On the third day of the meeting Ormonde
won the Rous Memorial Stakes, carrying 9 st.
6 |b., and giving Captain Machell’s Kilwarlin
(then a three-year-old and the winner of that
year’s St. Leger) 25 lb. The Calendar says that
Ormonde won by six lengths; all I can say is
they were very long ones, for Kilwarlin was well
down the course when Ormonde passed the
winning-post. Our horse was ridden by Tom
Cannon. Before the race Captain Machell came
to me and said, “‘ The horse was never foaled
that could give Kilwarlin 25 lb. and beat him.”
I suggested to the Duke that I should give
Tom Cannon orders to come right through with

270 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Ormonde, and let the public see what he really
could do. His Grace readily consented. Cannon
obeyed his instructions to the letter, and the
public not only saw, but marvelled. So did
Captain Machell. When I met him in the
paddock after the race I said, “ Well, what
do you think of it now?” He replied, “ Or-
monde is not a horse at all; he’s a damned steam-
engine.”

The following day Ormonde took part in one
of the most exciting and memorable races ever
run. It was for the Hardwicke Stakes. The
result was:

Duke of Westminster’s ip rns 4 yrs.,

g st. ro Ib. R : . T. Cannon 1
Mr. R.C. Vynei%s Minting, 4 yrs., » st. rolb. J. Osborne 2
Mr. H. T. Barclay’s Bendigo, aged, g st. 12 Ib. - Watts 3
Mr. H. 'T. Fenwick’s Phil, 3 yrs.,7st.12 lb. . G. Barrett 4

Betting: 5 to 4 on Ormonde, 7 to 4 against Minting, 100 to
8 Bendigo, too to 7 Phil. Won by a neck; three lengths
between second and third.

When the four horses were making their way
to the starting-post, Matt Dawson said to me,
‘You will be beaten to-day, John. No horse
afflicted with Ormonde’s infirmity can hope to
beat Minting.” I am bound to confess I had
no great confidence in Ormonde, for I did not
know how his wind trouble would affect him
when running over a mile and a half, with a long

pull uphill in the last mile. However, greatly

a

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 271

to my joy and relief, Ormonde, again ridden by
Cannon, came triumphantly through the ordeal.
Matt Dawson was astounded. Ormonde’s per-
formance was really a much greater one than it
looks on paper. George Barrett was jealous be-
cause Cannon was engaged to ride Ormonde,
for he thought he should have had the mount.
He rode Phil, and, coming round the bend into
the straight, bored his horse on to Ormonde.
Indeed, for a considerable distance Ormonde
was practically carrying Phil. After the race
we found that Ormonde’s skin was grazed for
three or four inches down the side of his near
hind leg. That was where Phil had struck into
him. Cannon was, it will be understood, unable
to make as much use of Ormonde as he could
and would have done but for the disgraceful
tactics pursued by Barrett. When he returned
to the paddock Cannon was very indignant. It
had taken Ormonde all his time to win by a neck.

The excitement was tremendous. When
Ormonde passed the post, the thousands con-
gregated on the stands and in the enclosures were
cheering their loudest, and the ladies were
waving handkerchiefs. The Duke was the
proudest man in the world at that moment,
and I was a good second to him. For a long
time I could not get to Ormonde, so great was
the crush round him. After the “all right”
had been called, the Duke led his horse twice

272 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

round the paddock, and then walked him out
on to the course and away towards the stables.

He seemed loath to leave go of the leading rein. _
Out on the course the public honoured Ormonde
with enthusiastic cheers, and the hurrahs did —
not cease until the horse had disappeared from

view. Everybody seemed intensely excited. It
was the greatest display of enthusiasm I have
ever seen on a racecourse.

I did not see Matt Dawson any more that
day. Perhaps he again went off to condole
with himself. He and I were always competing
against each other in the big races, and I should
say that honours were about equal between us;
but the greatness of Ormonde made the achieve-
ments of all other horses sink into comparative
insignificance.

In July, at Newmarket, Ormonde ran his
last race—the Imperial Gold Cup, over six
furlongs. He was opposed by Whitefriar and
Lovegold. Whitefriar, formerly at Kuingsclere,
was now the property of Sir George Chetwynd.
He was a very speedy horse, but, taking him on
at his own game, Ormonde gave him 6 Ib. and
a two lengths’ beating. Writing about this
race in his Reminiscences, Sir George says:

Of my own horses, Kingwood was the laziest and
worst goer at exercise it is possible to imagine, lolloping

a ne

na
~~

OEE: reg EONS I nn ile

EL

along with head down in a wretchedly careless fashion, —

which drew forth the remark from Tom Jennings, sen.,

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 273

one day, ““No one would imagine that horse was a
good one to see him go.” Yet he was a good horse; and
it was lucky for Ormonde that I won a race with King-
wood on the Tuesday of the July week of 1887, instead
of saving him to oppose the Derby winner, who would
have had to give him 7 lb., for Whitefriar, who was more
than a stone worse, woke up the great horse in his race,

_as the spur marks on his sides showed after it was over,

and as his rider, Tom Cannon, than whom there is no
finer judge, himself admitted. Personally, I am glad I
did not run Kingwood. I could not have backed my
horse freely, and should have been sorry to have spoilt
Ormonde’s unbeaten record when perhaps he was not in
his best form.

What might have happened none can tell.
If Sir George Chetwynd’s surmise was correct,
then I can only say I fully share his satisfaction
that Ormonde was spared a beating. Mr.
Somerville Tattersall has, however, told me that
Tom Cannon informed him, when they discussed
this particular race one day, that if Kingwood
had run, Ormonde would have beaten him just

as easily as he did Whitefriar.

Ormonde went back from Newmarket to
Kingsclere, and there he remained until the
autumn. When he left my stable to go to the
Faton Stud I felt there was a great blank. I
saw him go away with intense regret—a regret
I had never experienced before. And yet his
departure removed a great load from my mind.
He had given me two seasons of anxiety, which

T

274 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

increased after the development of his wind
infirmity. As the time was approaching for him
to run in a big event we used to have a watchman
on duty in the stable every night; otherwise —
he was treated in exactly the same way as the
other horses, going through the regular routine. —

From first to last Ormonde was a winner of q
fifteen races. In two of them he was allowed —
to walk over. The longest distance over which —
he actually had to race was the mile and three- —
quarters of the St. Leger course at Doncaster.
Three times he won over a mile and a half, {
Twice only were odds laid against his winning— —
on the occasion of his first race, and when he —
competed for the Two Thousand Guineas. The 4
total value of the stakes he won was £27,266:10s.

The following is a summarised statement of _
Ormonde’s racing career :

275

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE

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276 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

During the festivities with which Queen
Victoria’s ‘‘ Jubilee”? was celebrated in 1887,
the Duke of Westminster held a big reception
at Grosvenor House, his mansion in Park Lane.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were there,
together with four kings, two queens, several
other princes and princesses, and a number of

Indian potentates. Ormonde was the chief —

“exhibit.” Indeed, it would not be very wide
of the mark to say that he held the reception.

eam

We had walked Ormonde across London in the .
morning from Waterloo to Mayfair, by way of !

St. James’s Park and the Green Park, special

permission having been obtained to go through :
the latter, our aim being to avoid as much traffic ©
as possible. When he was proceeding along ©

the Mall, a passing cabman flourished his whip

in the direction of the famous horse, and inquired, —

“‘ Wot ’orse ’ave you there, guv’nor?”’ Myson,

who was in charge, told cabby it was Ormonde. ©
Not willing to have his “leg pulled” in that —
fashion, the fellow shouted the rejoinder, ‘‘ Garn! —

’oo are yer gettin’ at?”

We did not take Ormonde direct to Grosvenor —
House, but to the stables of Lord Manvers near —
by, for there was a larger box there than any the -
Duke had in his yard, and it had been placed

at our disposal. During the reception in the

afternoon Ormonde stood on the lawn, the centre

of attraction. Heseemed to revel in the attention ©

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 277

he received, and cheerfully devoured all the
dainties offered him by the ladies—sugar, flowers,
anything. The Queen of the Belgians fed
him with lawn grass and carnations. Some of
the Indian princes went to the flower-beds and
plucked geraniums, pelargoniums, and other
blooms for Ormonde to eat. Eventually I
had to interfere, because I was afraid some of
the flowers that were being given him might be
wired. If you had a buttonhole in your coat
when you went near Ormonde he would be sure

to grab and eat it! The Duke was very proud

of having Ormonde to show to his guests that
day. |

The late Richard Chapman is authority for
the statement that Ormonde’s first stud season,
at Eaton, was of a normal character. There
were no indications of the coming troubles. He
got a fair proportion of foals, and several of
them proved high-class winners. In 1889 Or-
monde was leased to Lord Gerard, and stood
at the Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket. He was
allowed to leave Eaton because Bend Or and
other stallions were there, and, though a relief
farm a few miles away was being used, the stud
was pressed for paddock accommodation. While
at Newmarket, Ormonde had a serious illness,
caused by a chill. The consequence was he
could not fulfil all the duties that had been allotted
to him; in fact, he only served a few mares.

278 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

It was while he was at Lord Gerard’s stud
that I saw Ormonde for the first time after his
departure from Kingsclere. At the Duke's
request I went to inspect him. To my great
disgust and annoyance I found him in an un-
ventilated box. The door and window were
both shut; all fresh air was excluded. Iimplored
his attendant to let in some air, assuring him
that if he did not he would soon kill the horse.
I took it upon myself to order the top door to
be opened and kept open. I have always been
a firm believer in the virtues of fresh air.

Ormonde returned to Eaton in the summer.
Chapman went to Newmarket to take him home,
and found him in a very weak state. The Duke
had seen the horse before he left Newmarket,
and, thinking he looked incapable of walking
the two miles to the station, suggested that he
should be conveyedina van. However, Ormonde
managed to walk. He had not been at Eaton

very long before he began to pick up, and was

soon improving rapidly.
Then came the sale of Ormonde. He was

bought by Captain England on behalf of Sefior —
Boucau, an Argentine breeder. It was arranged —
that the horse was to leave England the following
September, unless in the meantime either party —

to the deal regretted the sale or the purchase,
as the case might be. The Duke, it is under-
stood, received £12,000 for Ormonde.

—— ee EE ee

|

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 279

For many weeks before Ormonde left Eaton
he had walking exercise for five or six hours
every day in order to get him thoroughly fit for
the voyage to Buenos Aires. He was thirty-
one days on the water, but stepped ashore
perfectly fresh, and directly he landed neighed
loudly, as much as to say, “ Here I am.”

Many people blamed the Duke of West-
minster for allowing Ormonde to leave England.
His Grace was actuated chiefly by one motive.
There is abundance of evidence proving that
roaring is an hereditary complaint, though it is
doubtless true enough that a proportion of the
progeny of a horse afflicted with the disease
escape the taint. The Duke of Westminster
realised that if he kept Ormonde in England
many high-class mares would be sent to him,
and he was reluctant to have the accusation
made that Ormonde was responsible for spreading
in the best thoroughbred circles the complaint
with which he himself was cursed.

Ormonde remained in the Argentine until
May 1893, so that he would, I suppose, have
three seasons at the stud south of the Line. None
of his native-bred stock had run at Buenos Aires
when he returned to England, em route to California.

When writing about St. Blaise, I mentioned that

in the autumn of 1892 Mr. Charles Reed, the
owner of a big stud in the United States, went to
the Argentine determined to buy Ormonde, cost

280 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

what he might. On reaching Buenos Aires he
learned to his chagrin that he was forestalled ;
Ormonde had been acquired by Messrs. Tatter-
sall on behalf of Mr. William Macdonough,
a wealthy breeder in California. Mr. Mac-
donough saw an announcement that Mr. Reed
had gone to South America to buy Ormonde.
He himself was at that time entertaining the idea
of securing the best thoroughbred stallion in the
market, and the desire seized him to outwit
Mr. Reed. His first step was to cable Messrs.
Tattersall asking them to get an option on the
horse. Then he sent Dr. W. G. Ross to London
to conduct negotiations on his behalf. It was.
finally agreed that Mr. Macdonough should pay
£30,000 for Ormonde—an unprecedented sum
in those days. The bargaining is said to have
been concluded the day before the option expired,
and just before Mr. Reed reached the Argentine.
Mr. Macdonough thought he had done a great —
stroke of business, because £40,000 had been
asked for the son of Bend Or. By selling
Ormonde’s progeny as yearlings, he expected
to make, in the long run, a good profit on his
deal. A sore disappointment awaited him.
When he reached California, Ormonde proved
to be almost impotent. No one, however, ever
heard Mr. Macdonough complain.

In the hope that a change of environment
would benefit him, Ormonde stood for one

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 281

season at Mr. Haggin’s Californian stud, the
Rancho del Paso, but it is said that he begat not
a single foal that year, In May 1904 Mr.
Macdonough came to the conclusion that the

horse who had so grievously belied his hopes

should mercifully be put to death. The medium
employed was chloroform. The body was
buried at Menlo Park, to be exhumed a few
months later, when the skeleton was collected,
sent to London, and set up in the Natural History
Museum at South Kensington.

If Ormonde’s American-bred offspring were
few in number, they were of good quality. The
best of them were probably Ormondale (who
won the Futurity Stakes in 1905), Orsini, and
Ossary, all of whom were fairly successful at
the stud. His influence in Argentina was small.
Not more than ten of his daughters found their
way into the Argentine Stud Book, and none of
his native-bred sons gained any distinction as
a stallion, though Orville, imported to Argentina
from England, proved a sire of some note.

By the time Ormonde reached England
en route to America his offspring here had done
big things. The results that accrued from the
two seasons he had at the stud before going to
South America were, indeed, in some respects,
quite remarkable. His first crop numbered
seven living foals; his second, one only. The
seven born in 1889 were Orme, Goldfinch,

282 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Sorcerer, Llanthony, Orville, Kilkenny, and
Orontes II. The two last-named were fillies.
Glenwood was the solitary living foal by Ormonde
born in 1890. Of these eight colts and fillies,
Orville and Orontes II. were the only two that
did not win races, and even they afterwards
made amends by getting or producing winners.
Here is a summary of the racing achievements
of Ormonde’s English-bred stock :

Races won. Value,

Orme. : ; ras | £32,526
Goldfinch . . ey 254.64
Sorcerer. : aia 229
Llanthony . ‘ ee 35139
Kilkenny . ° ok oe 164
Glenwood . 2 1,726

24 £40,248

I think we are justified in assuming from the
foregoing statistics that, but for his illness in
1889, which permanently weakened his pro-
creative powers, Ormonde would have been
brilliantly successful both in the Argentine and
the United States. The figures credited to
Orme explain, of course, the difference between
£12,000 and £30,000, his selling value in 1890
and 1892 respectively.

In 1891, after Orme and Goldfinch had

shown good form as two-year-olds, the late Mr.
J. Hume Webster, of Marden Deer Park, tried
to form a syndicate of English breeders with a

THE CAREER OF ORMONDE 283

view to bringing Ormonde back to his native
land. Mr. Webster managed to secure twenty
subscribers for three seasons at 300 guineas
per mare. He, however, wanted thirty-five
subscribers, and as this total could not be made
up, the scheme fell through—fortunately for all
concerned.

When Ormonde returned to England from
the Argentine in the summer of 1893, I went,
accompanied by Mr. Somerville Tattersall, to
Southampton to meet him. I saw him first
in his box on the boat. The manner in which
he greeted the trainer who had idolised him
was not, I am bound to confess, quite so friendly
as 1 could have desired, for he snapped at me.
He was looking remarkably well. After landing
he was sent to Goodwood to rest until the time
came to ship him to New York. I saw him
again at Goodwood, and pulled a few hairs out
of his mane and tail which I have preserved as
a memento of a great and noble creature.

THE PRINCE’S PATRONAGE

Earty in the year 1886 Lord Alington in-
formed me that the Prince of Wales was buying
some racehorses which he wished me to train.
This was a great honour conferred upon me, and,
of course, I willingly accepted the responsibility.
In the previous eleven years his Royal Highness.

had owned a number of steeplechasers, and —
still had some in training at Epsom with John —
Jones, the father of the jockey, Herbert Jones. —
I believe, however, that when the Prince joined
the Kingsclere stable his colours had only once
been “sported” under Jockey Club rules. In
July 1877, at Newmarket, his Arab horse Alep
was matched against Lord Strathnairn’s Avowal,
to run four miles for £500 a side. Odds of ©
9 to 4 were laid on Alep, but he was beaten ©
thirty lengths by his opponent, a very moderate —
horse,

In 1886 the Prince bought a couple of two-
year-old fillies by Hermit. They were Counter-

pane and Lady Peggy. At Sandown Park in ©

June, Counterpane, the first time out, won a
284

THE PRINCE’S PATRONAGE 285

Maiden Plate, beating three opponents in a
canter. Poor Counterpane, however, had her
existence cut short three weeks later, when she
competed for the Stockbridge Cup. Just as
she had apparently taken the measure of her
rivals, she was seen to falter, and when nearing
the winning-post dropped dead. A post-mortem
examination showed that she had a diseased
heart. Lady Peggy also ran twice that year.
She was beaten at Newmarket in July, but at the
Houghton meeting in October won a Maiden
Plate from a big field. After that no more was
seen of her on a racecourse.

It would be shortly after Counterpane had
won her race at Sandown Park that the Prince,
talking with a friend, is said to have used words
to the following effect : “‘ To be neither unduly
elated by success nor discouraged by reverses

has always been considered the first attribute of

a good sportsman. I have only won one race
under Jockey Club rules. Some day I hope to
own a Derby winner of my own breeding; but
at present my luck is so bad that if a horse of
mine were winning a race it would probably
drop dead before reaching the winning - post.”
In view of what happened to Counterpane at
Stockbridge, this was a strangely prophetic
utterance.

Therceforward until the end of the season
1892 I generally had ten or a dozen of my boxes

286 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

occupied by horses belonging to the Prince.
Unfortunately there is not much to be said about
any of them. The big years were to come after
his Royal Highness left Kingsclere for New-
market. While I trained for him the Prince’s
best year was 1891, when four of his horses won
seven races worth £4148. The chief con-
tributors to this total were Pierrette, The Imp,
and Barracouta.

In the autumn of 1886 the Prince informed
me that he proposed to found a breeding stud
at Sandringham. He asked me to give my
advice concerning the best way of laying out the
paddocks. I saw the paddocks it was intended
to use, and offered suggestions with regard to
them. The plans then made were afterwards
considerably developed. At that time the Prince
was breeding hackneys at Wolverton, near
Sandringham, but the land so employed was
eventually devoted to thoroughbred mares visit-
ing the Sandringham stallions.

A stud groom was wanted. I recommended
Edmund Walker, who had had charge of Archer’s
mares at Falmouth House, Newmarket. I had
made Walker’s acquaintance at Archer’s, and
knew him to be a trustworthy man. Archer
died in November 1886. Walker, therefore, at
the moment, was in want of another situation.
He was engaged to go to Sandringham, and
there he has remained to this day, having

THE PRINCE’S PATRONAGE 287

proved himself a skilful, painstaking, reliable
servant.
The next step was to buy brood mares for

the new stud. It was decided to purchase about

half-a-dozen, but I was warned that no fancy
prices were to be paid. One I bought was
PerditaII. She belonged to Mr. David Falconer,
a jute broker, in Mark Lane, who raced under
the name of “ Benholm.”” He met me one day
at Newmarket and said: “‘ I understand you are
buying mares for the Prince of Wales. I have
one I want to sell. Go and look at her; she is
standing at John Dawson’s. I want a thousand
for her.”’ |

I went to see Perdita IJ., and liked the look
of her. She was an angular sort of mare, but I
could see she had good points, and was likely
to develop into a nice brood mare. At that time
she was just out of training, having run at the
Derby November meeting. In July she had
carried 7 st. 8 lb. in the Liverpool Cup and
run a dead-heat for first place with Mr. Leopold
de Rothschild’s Middlethorpe, with The Sailor
Prince (who was to win the Cambridgeshire in
the autumn) third.

I had to see the Prince that morning in his
room at the Jockey Club. I told him about
Perdita II., and that I had been toseeher. ‘“ They
are asking a thousand for her, sir, but I may be
able to get her for a little less.” The Prince

288 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

asked me whether I thought she would do for
his stud, and I said “‘ Yes.” ‘* Then,” said the
Prince, ‘“‘ you can buy her if you can get her for
nine hundred.”

I at once approached Mr. Falconer, and he
agreed to sell for £900. When Sir Dighton
Probyn was handing over the money to me
he said: “‘ You will ruin the Prince if you
go on buying these thoroughbreds.” What a
bargain Perdita II. turned out! Many people
have taken credit to themselves for having had
something to do with the purchase of Perdita II.
I have related the plain facts of the case. Nobody
except Mr. Falconer and myself had anything to
do with the deal.

Perdita II. became a perfect gold-mine. The
Prince, some years after he had become King,
said to me: “‘ When you bought her you as good
as made me a present of a quarter of a million
of money.” What it amounted to was that
King Edward had all his racing for nothing. No
doubt it was fortunate that the produce of Perdita
II. fell into the skilful hands of Dick Marsh, who
did full justice to them ; and I fervently hope
that the day is not far distant when other horses
as good as Florizel II., Persimmon, and Diamond
Jubilee will be located at Egerton House. I
continued to buy brood mares for the Sandring-
ham Stud so long as the Prince’s horses were
trained at Kingsclere.

THE PRINCE’S PATRONAGE 289

It is, perhaps, worth while setting out the
stud career of Perdita II. Here are the facts
culled from the Stud Book and the Racing

Calendar.
cause oma er
_ 1888. B. or br.c. Derelict, by Bar-
caldine . i I II £100
1889. B.f. Barracouta, by Natealdide I 3 1,064 _
1890. Barren , s ji
1891. Br.c. Florizel II., “a St. Simen ORES 7,858

1892. Barren es Ny a
1893. B.c. Persimmon, by St. Sittin ’ 2 34,706

1894. B.c. Farrant, by Donovan . o
1895. B.f. Azeeza, by Surefoot . 0 I
1896. Br.c. Sandringham, by St.
Simon (sent to U.S.A.) . oO fe)
1897. B.c. Diamond Jubilee, bs St.
Simon . f hie Bales 4 29,185

1898. Slipped foal F A Ne
1899. B.f. Nadejda, by St. Simon . o °

Total . es ae £72,913

When at the stud, Florizel II., Persimmon
and Diamond Jubilee must have earned about
£150,000 in fees; Diamond Jubilee, after she .
had been a few years at the stud, was sold for
30,000 guineas to an Argentine breeder; and
Sandringham went to the United States. And
so we get the quarter of a million sterling which
King Edward calculated he had gained by the
aid of the produce of Perdita II. I had Dere-
lict and Barracouta at Kingsclere. The latter

U

290 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

showed considerable promise as a two-year-old
and won the Champion Breeders’ Foal Plate
(£1064) at Derby ; but she did not train on in
the way we had hoped. a}

When the Prince came to Kingsclere to
see his horses, he generally travelled by the
nine o’clock train from Waterloo to Overton, o |
where he was met by a “ fly.”” I awaited him ~
at the foot of the Downs on a hack. The Prince ©
would mount my old grey cob “ Jack,” and then ©
off we would go to the training-ground. When
the morning’s work was completed we pro- —
ceeded to Park House for lunch about noon, —
and, after two hours in the bracing Down air,
His Royal Highness had a very keen appetite. q
Sometimes he brought a friend or two with him. _
For instance, on one occasion in 1889 he was” |
accompanied by Count Kinsky, Lord Arthur ‘ :
Somerset (his Master of the Horse), Sir James
Mackenzie, and Colonel Davidson. The Prince |
took a great interest in his racehorses. He was
always most kind and considerate, and very —
grateful for anything that was done which —- q
to his comfort and enjoyment. a

The Prince’s kindness to me assumed many |
forms. On several occasions I was his guest |
in the Royal Yacht. I was on board her during —
the great Naval Review which formed part of —
the Jubilee festivities in 1887; and again at the —
time of the Review at Spithead in honour of the —

THE PRINCE’S PATRONAGE 291

German Emperor. Admiral Sir Harry Keppel
was generally a fellow-guest. The Admiral
was one of the most delightful men I have met.
He lived down the New Forest way, and paid a
visit to Kingsclere nearly every year.

My association with King Edward continued
to the time of his death in 1910. I paid a visit
to Sandringham every year, usually in November.
On the Sunday, after lunch, I used to meet the
King, and we made a tour round the estate,
starting at the kennels, working across the
paddocks to the sheep, then to the stallions;
from there to the cattle, and return by the
Queen’s dairy, through the gardens, to the stables
at the House. They were always very delightful
‘‘ opportunities.”’ In the course of these rambles
I often received a present—a dog, a peacock, a
wild turkey, or something of the sort.

It was the particular wish of King Edward
that all his people should attend church every
Sunday. One Sunday afternoon he told me he
had not seen me at church that morning. I
replied that I was there, sitting behind Penny,
who was then the head gardener at Sandringham.
Penny was very broad and stout, so that I was
entirely hidden from view! His Majesty passed
off my explanation with a joke.

A frequent visitor to Kingsclere about the
time when I had the Prince’s horses there was
Mr. Justice Hawkins, afterwards Lord Brampton.

292 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

He generally contrived to spend the week-end
with me when he was attending the Assizes at
Winchester. He would bring with him his ©
fox-terrier. We were walking on the Downs ~
one Sunday afternoon, the Judge reeling off some ‘
of his tales, when we suddenly realised that the i
dog had disappeared. We “ whistled” him to :
no purpose, and the Judge became greatly dis- __
tressed. Mr. Lopes (son of Mr. Justice Lopes) ;
was with us, and he and I went away to the rabbit
warren in search of the truant. By the merest
chance I saw the dog’s tail poking out of a rabbit
hole, and, taking hold of it, hauled him out. He

had so wedged himself in that he could never
have got out without assistance. A fox-terrier
I gave to Queen Alexandra lost his life by getting
into a similar fix.

Mr. Justice Hawkins used to relate some
wonderful stories of his experiences at the Bar.
He was very proud of the fact that his speech at
the Tichborne trial was the longest on record.
He had the reputation of being “a hanging ‘
judge,” but he disowned the idea. He used to
say that there were two classes of criminals—
some naturally criminal, others made criminals

i
f

by force of circumstances. To the former, who
were a danger to society, he always gave as much
punishment as the law allowed; the others he was
disposed to treat leniently. I should say he was
a very just and discriminating judge.

{

pat esa pee oy 5
Lge tn ey

THE PRINCE’S PATRONAGE 293

I have generally had a good legal friend.
After Mr. Justice Hawkins came Sir Charles
Russell, later known as Lord Russell of Killowen,
Lord Chief Justice. He was an extremely kind-
hearted, genial man. Whenever he had a big
case coming on in the Courts he ran down to
Kingsclere so that he might study his brief in
quietude. He would ride out with me on the
Downs in the morning, and, on returning to
Park House, retire to his room. We saw no
more of him until the evening. He made his
longest stay with me when he was working up
the Venezuelan case. If I remember rightly, he
had to undertake that after the inquiry had been
going on for several months, having been called
upon to fill the place of a barrister who died.
This necessitated his familiarising himself with
the mass of evidence that had already been given.

Sir Charles was very fond of whist, and always
insisted on playing a rubber or two after dinner.
On one occasion he and my wife were partners
against my son-in-law (Mr. Leader) and myself.
My wife was very tired and went to sleep in the
middle of a rubber. This brought from Sir
Charles the remark: “ It is impossible to win a
rubber with a sleeping-partner.” Another time
when Sir Charles was staying with us I invited
Father Reilly, a Catholic priest at Newbury, to
dine and spend the evening with us. Father
Reilly was a good sportsman and a very genial

294 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

companion. He was one of the “four’’ at
whist that night, and partnered Sir Charles. At
the beginning of the “hand” Father Reilly,
who was the dealer, turned up the ace of spades
as the last card. Imagine, therefore, our surprise
when, while the third trick was in progress, Sir
Charles played what appeared to be the ace of
spades. We immediately accused him of leger-
demain. An “inquest ’’ was held, and we dis-
covered that the “ace” Sir Charles produced
was, in fact, the joker. That, however, did not
entirely solve the puzzle, because we could not
make out how, with the joker in the pack, a
misdeal had been avoided. Sir Charles wanted
to discard his illegitimate “‘ace”’ and proceed
with the game, but we would not adopt that
suggestion. I used to visit Sir Charles at Tad-
worth Court, near Epsom, especially in race
weeks. He continued his visits to Kingsclere
until just before his death. He bred one or two
racehorses. Sir Charles Mathews is another
good legal friend of mine, and he occasionally
came on a visit to Kingsclere. Nor must I forget
to mention Baron Martin, who once helped me
out of a difficulty.

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM

I must now go back to the year 1886 in order
to pick up some items left behind when we were
carried along by the story of Ormonde. Lord
Alington’s Candlemas won some races that
season. He was a good-looking bay horse by
Hermit out of Fusee. We did not run him as a
two-year-old, and it was in the Epsom Grand
Prize that he made his first public appearance.
We tried him pretty highly, and odds of 6 to 5

were laid on his beating ten opponents. He won
by a neck from Lord Bradford’s Sir Hamo, with

St. Mirin a moderate third. St. Mirin reversed
this form in the Ascot Derby ; but Candlemas
came into prominence again when he finished
second to Bendigo in the first contest for the
Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park. This was the
first of the £10,000 races. During the next few
years other similar events were instituted, but
the Eclipse is the only one that has really been
successful, In the Liverpool Autumn Cup that
year Candlemas was placed third to Melton and
Kilcreene; he won a couple of races as a four-
295

296 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

year-old, and in 1888 carried off the Chesterfield
Cup at Goodwood.

In 1886 Captain Bowling and I bought a
two-year-old colt named Carrasco, by Speculum.
The Captain was a great friend of Archer’s,
and it was through the latter that I got to know
him. Bowling’s father was a Pembrokeshire
rector. The Captain was wounded in the Zulu
War, and had to leave the service because he
could not use his arm properly after he came out
of hospital. Carrasco, a good stayer, won two
Nursery Handicaps at Newmarket in the autumn.
The following spring he ran The Baron to half a
length in the Craven Stakes. His next outing was
in the Payne Stakes a month later. In the mean-
time, on April 23, the following trial took place at
Kingsclere:

One Mile
St. Mirin, 4 yrs., 9 st. . : . Watts 1
Candlemas, 4 yrs., 8st... , . Barrett 2
Tracedown, 3 yrs., 7 st. . ‘ wens
Carrasco, 3 yrs., 7 st. ‘ ; . Loates 4
Ormonde, 4 yrs., — . ; - Webb's

Won by a length; four lengths between second
and third; one length between third and fourth;
one length between fourth and fifth.

“I do not think Loates got all out of Carrasco”
is an underlined note which I appended to the
record of this trial in my book. It is, perhaps, as
well to explain that Ormonde was not being tried
that day; he was merely put in so that he might

ease oe es ee Pe ee Oe
ea et Ae e EAE I E AE LN OS

FORRES RP MEE EEG

ae

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM 297

have a good gallop. The pronounced superiority
St. Mirin could now claim over Candlemas will
be noted. Having regard to the special reference
I make to Carrasco, it is evident the trial had been
arranged for his benefit. A fortnight later he
went to Newmarket and won the Payne Stakes
cleverly by a length from an odds-on favourite—
Lord Falmouth’s Blanchland. Then he ran
second in the Ascot Cup to Bird of Freedom.
After that we sold him for £3000 to Mr. E. H.
Benzon, better known to the public as the
“Jubilee Plunger,” because of his reckless
gambling on the Turf in Jubilee year.

In 1887 the most noteworthy of the horses
at Kingsclere, after Ormonde, was the two-year-
old Friar’s Balsam. Bred by Lord Alington,
he was a chestnut colt by Hermit out of Flower
of Dorset. That season he ran seven times, was
unbeaten, and collected stakes to the value of
£8666. I may, indeed, state right away that I
regarded Friar’s Balsam as a “smasher.” He
did enough to prove this; he would have done
more still but for his being hampered by a delicate
constitution. He first comes under notice as the
winner of the following trial on May 20, 1887:

Six Furlongs

Friar’s Balsam, 2 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. . . T. Cannon 1
Mon Droit, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. ‘ ; Viney 2
Challenge, 2 yrs., 8 st. A ‘ : 3
Rose, 2 yrs., 7 st. 4 lbs. ‘ 4

Won easily by alength; two lengths bere second and third.

298 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Mon Droit was a filly by Isonomy out of In
Bounds, which I had bought for myself at New-
market the previous July. In April she had
been beaten by a neck only for the Sandown Park
T.Y.O. Stakes, and at Newmarket on May 10
won a similar race in a canter by four lengths.
When, therefore, I found that Friar’s Balsam
could give her a stone and an easy beating, I
knew he must be something out of the common.
The following are the races he won that season:

New Sraxzs, Ascot (beating Seabreeze three
lengths, with Ayrshire a bad third) . £1322

Hursrsourne Stakes, Stockbridge . o LESS

Juty Staxes, Newmarket (beating Seabreeze
three-quarter length) . ‘ ‘ . 1320

Ricumonp Stakes, Goodwood . , +h eee

Mo tecoms Stakes, Goodwood (walked over) 375
Mippte Park Pirate, Newmarket (Seabreeze

third) j ; P , o* Bags
Dewunurst Pare, Nimathis ‘ : - 1447

Before the Middle Park Plate—the date was
October 6—we tried him as follows:

Six Furlongs

Orbit, 2 yrs., 7 st.
Spot, 3 yrs., 8 st. 4 lb. ; ‘
Friar’s Balsam, 2 yrs., 9 st. 4 lb. .
Mon Droit, 2 yrs., 8 st. rr Ib.
Ossory, 2 yrs., 8 st. 11 lb. h
Won by a length; half a length Kaun MF sid
and third; the same between third, fourth, and
fifth.

Mr WwW N

BAS ROO LOT RIA RO

0 tga aoe

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM 299

This was a very good performance on the part of
Friar’s Balsam. But there was really no need

to look beyond his public form that season, and

we entirely shared the belief of the public that
he would secure classic honours in 1888.

If we formally tried Friar’s Balsam before the
Two Thousand Guineas, there is no record of
the event in my book. Whether or not, when I
took him to Newmarket I was firmly convinced
he had nothing to fear from any of his opponents.

Two of them were his stable companions Orbit
_and Ossory, owned by the Duke of Westminster.
Odds of 3 to 1 were freely laid on Friar’s Balsam;
at 8 to 1 against, Ayrshire was second favourite.
To our utter dismay, Friar’s Balsam made no
show in the race, and finished fifth of the six
‘runners. Not until he returned to the paddock
did we know there was anything wrong with him,
but we then found his mouth full of pus. An
unsuspected abscess had burst while he was
racing. I immediately telegraphed to London
for Mr. Williams, the veterinary surgeon, who
eventually removed a piece of loose bone from
the jaw.

Friar’s Balsam was a very difficult horse to
dress in the stable, he was so restless. When
this operation had to be performed we used to
put a Chifney bit in his mouth to keep him under
control. A single rein was attached to the under
portion of the bit, and the man “ doing” him held

300 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the rein in his hand. When dressing a part of
the body that was not sensitive, the attendant —
would throw the rein over the horse’s back. I
have always thought that one day, shortly before
the Two Thousand, the man allowed the rein to —
hang loose on the ground, and that Friar’s —
Balsam, stepping on it, pulled it taut with a jerk,
and so injured his jaw. The remarkable thing
is that the horse had not, prior to the race, by -
refusing his food or in some other way, given an —
indication that there was anything the matter
with his mouth. |

The wretched abscess pulled Friar’s Balsam —
down sadly, and it was not until the autumn —
that I had him fit enough to race again. He —
competed for the Lancashire Plate of £11,000
at Manchester in September, but was “ un-—
placed ”’ behind Seabreeze and Ayrshire, both of ©
whom he defeated so easily the previous year. —
Three weeks later, however, he was himself
again, and caused a sensation by winning the
Champion Stakes at Newmarket, for odds of 100
to 60 had been laid on Minting, who was beaten
half a length by the son of Hermit. i

During the next few months Friar’s Balsam
did not thrive as he should have done. His only
race as a four-year-old was in the Royal Stakes _
of £10,000 at Kempton Park. Odds of 5 to4 ~
were laid on him, but he finished “ nowhere.”
Ayrshire and Seabreeze were first and second. —

spe Ean a

ta a a ae gid Pe to eee

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM 301

That was the last time Friar’s Balsam ran in public.
His lack of condition was, however, proved to us
a few days later when, over a mile, he failed by
three-quarters of a length to give a stone to Orbit.
|. Friar’s Balsam began his stud life at Blankney,
Lincolnshire, in 1890, and there he died in 1899.
_ At the time of his death he commanded a fee of
| 100 guineas. The best of his progeny were
_ Pomade Divine, Seaholm, Balm of Gilead, Bal-
| samo, Sterling Balm, Friar Tuck, and Sermon.
_ Balsamo won the City and Suburban for the late

| Duke of Devonshire; Friar Tuck was third in

the Derby of 1902 to Ard Patrick and Rising
Glass; and Sermon was heavily backed to beat
Rock Sand in the Two Thousand Guineas in 1903.
| When the Prince of Wales joined the Kings-
| clere stable his friend Mr. (afterwards Sir) James

| T. Mackenzie, of Kintail, came with him. He
| was a keen racing man and owned one or two

i good horses. I trained two winners for him in
| 1886—Upset, a dark brown three-year-old colt
| by See Saw,: and Lord Arthur, a two-year-old
by The Duke. Upset won the Wiltshire Stakes
at Salisbury and the July Handicap at Kempton

Park. The following season Upset won the
_ Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood. His starting price
was 25 to 1. That, of course, was the Jubilee
year, and just before the Goodwood Meeting I
had spent a few days in the Prince of Wales’s
yacht in the Solent. When paying that visit

302 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

to the yacht I travelled down to Portsmouth ©

from London with the Prince. When we reached

the vessel the Commander was surprised to see

me; he had not been told I was coming. No

arrangements had, consequently, been made for

my accommodation. The Commander asked
me if I would mind sleeping on shore that night,
adding that he would have a berth ready for me

in the yacht the following day. I was that
evening conducted to the Commander’s private

apartments in Portsmouth—two rooms over a
hairdresser’s shop. The following morning I

returned to the Royal yacht, where my quarters —

had been got ready.

When I left the apartments on shore I gave
the hairdresser, who had been very attentive to

me, ten shillings. In some way or other he had
discovered who I was, for when he received his
‘tip’ he said: “I shall give this half-sovereign
a chance on some of your horses at Goodwood.”
The Commander and most of the officers of the
Royal yacht visited Goodwood on the Friday,
the last day of the meeting. The Commander
came to me and said: “‘ You have done a nice
thing for my landlord, the hairdresser. He has
run that half-sovereign you gave him into more

than £100, and ’’—but I had better not complete

the story.

The Kingsclere stable had a wonderful time —
at Goodwood that week. After Upset had won —

ents ae

=. it =
SS a i ata Caine

AS ae 5

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM 303

the Stewards’ Cup, Friar’s Balsam (with odds of
25 to 1 laid on him) carried off the Richmond
Stakes, Spot won the Chesterfield Cup at 13 to 2,
Mon Droit the Rous Memorial at roo to 6, and
Savile the Goodwood Cup at 3 to 1. These
successes were all gained during the first three
days. Much to my regret, I did not saddle a
winner the fourth day for the benefit of my
friends from the Royal yacht.

Savile, by Hampton out of Lilian, was “ no
good ’”’ as a two-year-old, and we did not run
him till he was three, in 1887. Then, the first
time out, he won the Dee Stakes at Chester, and,
later in the season, the Knowsley Dinner Stakes
at Liverpool. In the contest for the Goodwood
Cup he first of all ran a dead-heat with Mr.
Douglas Baird’s St. Michael, and then comfort-
ably won the deciding heat. He was slow, but
a rare “ sticker.”

In May of that year Upset won the Kempton
Park Stewards’ Handicap, and then figured in a
trial recorded as follows:

Six Furlongs

Upset, 4 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib.
Rose, 2 yrs., 7 st. . ‘
Spot, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 |b. .
Polynesia, 2 yrs., 8 st. 2 lb.
Ossory, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib.

-
mr WN LY

Won by three lengths; one length between
second and third.

304 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Apparently that trial was arranged for the
special benefit of Ossory, brother to Ormonde,
and it looks as though he had, during informal
work on the Downs, “shown” something he
failed to display in this gallop. We did not
race him till the autumn, when he won the
Criterion Stakes at Newmarket, his only effort
as a two-year-old. Another of the Duke of

Westminster’s two-year-olds that season was -

Orbit, by Bend Or. He won three races as a
juvenile. The following year Orbit began by
winning the Craven Stakes at Newmarket. He
was placed third in the Two Thousand Guineas
to Ayrshire and Johnny Morgan, fifth in the
Derby, and second in a Triennial at Ascot.
Ossory finished last of six in the Guineas, and
won the Prince of Wales’s and St. James’s
Palace Stakes at Ascot. Then came the Eclipse
Stakes at Sandown, in which both Ossory and
Orbit competed, ridden by the two Tom Cannons,
father and son. The “old ’un” was on Orbit.
The Duke was staying at Kingsclere at the time,
and, after the horses had left for Sandown, I said:
‘““Of course you are going to see your horses
run, your Grace.” “No,” he replied, “ they
are both moderate, and I am not interested.”
When I returned to Kingsclere that evening
the Duke was sitting under a tree in the garden
reading a book. As I approached him he greeted
me with: ‘“ Well, how did you get on?” “* You

a ee a Sra A Re rn a see a oe la ES

Va ar ENED APR TAGE CS Saath eran Del Set i len te aa aE

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM 305

won, your Grace, with Orbit.’’ “ Really!” he
exclaimed, evidently very surprised. ‘“‘ What
was second?” “Yours was second; you got
all the money.” More than ever astonished,
and at the same time very pleased, he said, on
the spur of the moment, that he would make me
a present of £500. The public had not held
Orbit in such small esteem as his owner, for they
made him favourite for the Eclipse. He won
by a length from Ossory, with Martley a good
third. But the Eclipse field that year was
composed of moderate horses, and the Duke’s
estimate of his two was quite correct.

That success at Sandown Park brought me a
letter from my friend Hawley Smart, the novelist,

_ which I reproduce because it shows the interest he

took in racing:
Garrick Crus, Covent Garpen, W.C.,
Fuly 29.
Dear Porter—No end of congratulations on the
Eclipse Stakes. If your team was a little backward, they

_ came with a rattle when they did come, and about £12,000
_ in two

6¢

pops” must make the Duke think keeping
racehorses about the most economical sport out.

I couldn’t go down to see it, but what a good race it
was between your pair. . . . I got a message from you
by Mathews (for which many thanks) and had a “‘ tenner ”

on Orbit in consequence. They may not be first-class

horses but they are an uncommonly useful pair, they
Stay so well. . . . Ossory was about last all the way to

_ the Swinley turn at Ascot, but the further he went the
_ better he liked it.

x

306 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

By the way, I came up with a gentleman on the ©
Hunt Cup day who I perfectly remember your intro- —
ducing me to on the training ground when I came down —
to Kingsclere. He said you told him on the Saturday —
previous you fancied your chances for the Prince of ©
Wales Stakes and the Hunt Cup, that he didn’t go down ~
on ‘Tuesday, so didn’t back Ossory, but he did back —
Candlemas, As I had done likewise, we mutually —
lamented. 1

Wishing you all sorts of success at Goodwood—Yours —
sincerely, Haw tey Smarr. |

I’m afraid you won’t beat Seabreeze in the Sussex.

Both Ossory and Seabreeze were unplaced
in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. At Ascot Y
Ossory won the Prince of Wales Stakes in a
canter by three lengths, and the regrets of Mr. —
Smart and the gentleman to whom he refers are
understandable because odds of 100 to 11 were _
laid against him. Candlemas ran unplaced for
the Royal Hunt Cup. hi

I have not, unfortunately, kept many of the —
letters relating to the Kingsclere horses I re-
ceived from patrons and friends, but have found —
another from Mr. Hawley Smart, also written 1
in 1888. .

“ RouGeMonT,” BupteicH, SatrerTon, S. Drvo J il
Nov. 4. © ze

Dear Porter—lI am glad you liked the book; it —
promises to be a great go before the month’s out. It has
come out just in the nick of time. It was like havi
a colt thoroughly ripe in the Epsom and Ascot wee .

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM = 307

Every one speaks highly of it, and all notices so far are
most laudatory. At Eggesford last week they were all
full of it. Lady Portsmouth specially was pleased, and
she’s a clever woman. . . .

Yes, you have indeed done well. It’s all over now,
and we see what indifferent material you had to work
on, and I am sorry to hear you have nothing very pro-
mising for next year. I don’t know whether Friar’s
Balsam can stay, and even you may not be quite certain
on that point; but if he had only kept well what a sweep
of the board it would have been. Last year he was
always master of Ayrshire and Seabreeze. He, no doubt,
had very bad luck in the Lancashire Plate, or else I
suppose he would have finished in the first three at all
events. . . )

I am sorry to say we cannot manage a visit to Kingsclere
at present, but do hope that next summer we may find you
with a spare room. Mrs. Hawley Smart says she got
quite tired of hearing the praises of “ The Master”
sung at Eggesford.— Y ours sincerely,

HAWLEY Smarr.

Mr. Willie Low joined the stable in 1887.
His father was a Scotsman who made a big
fortune in the United States. A remarkably
handsome man, Mr. Low was “ one of the best,”
and always full of fun. The first animal he sent
to me was the filly Hall Mark, who won a few
nice races, and afterwards became a very useful
brood mare. Another was Gay Hampton, a colt
of beautiful quality by Hampton out of Rosy
Morn. His one success as a two-year-old was
the capture of the Kempton Park Grand Stakes,

308 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

worth £1800. He won the race by a head from
Lord Durham’s Gulbeyaz. The following spring
he won the Craven Stakes at Newmarket.

In Miguel, a black colt by Fernandez, Mr.
John Gretton owned a useful little horse, but an
unlucky one. The oftly prize he placed to his
credit was the Rutland Plate, which he won in
the autumn of his two-year-old days. The
following season, 1889, he was second to Donovan
in the Derby and St. Leger, second to Morglay
in the Ascot Derby, and second to Gulliver in
the Hardwicke Stakes. Those four races were
worth £12,404, but Miguel’s portion amounted
to only £850. In 1888 Mr. Gretton had a
pretty good three-year-old in Apollo, by Hampton
out of Rosy Cross. The dam won the Lincoln-
shire Handicap in 1880—one of the few mares
who have been successful in that race. Apollo
had not raced as a two-year-old, but the following
season he won races at Stockbridge and Good-
wood, and, with odds of 66 to 1 laid against him,
finished a good fourth in the St. Leger to Sea-
breeze, Chillington, and Zanzibar.

Mr. John Gretton was a splendid man in

every way. To my knowledge he never made

a bet, but raced purely for the love of the sport.

He bred most of the horses that carried his —

colours, first at Coton, near Burton, and after-

wards at Bladon Hall. My association with the — |

Gretton family has continued down to the present

LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM 309

day, for I am now managing a few horses for
Mr. F. Gretton, a son of Mr. John Gretton, and
a nephew of the owner of Isonomy.

The mention just now of the Lincolnshire
Handicap reminds me of a story about Mr. Fred
Gretton. He went to the Lincoln meeting one
day with a valuable diamond pin in his tie. As
he was passing through the turnstile into the
stand one of the “‘ boys” managed to snatch the
pin and get away before Mr. Gretton realised
what had happened. When he discovered his
loss, Mr. Gretton came to me and asked what
steps he should take to recover the gem. I
suggested we should consult Charlie Rayner.
This we did, and later in the day Rayner told us
we could have the pin by paying £25. Mr.
Gretton at once gave him the money, and pre-
sently received the diamond, which had been
unscrewed from the pin. The following day
Mr. Gretton was standing in the paddock with
his hands clasped behind his back. He felt
something prick his hand, and bringing it in
front of him to see what was the matter, found
there the lost tie-pin, wrapped in a piece of
tissue-paper ! Having got what they asked, the
thieves were apparently anxious to restore the
whole of their loot.

At one of the meetings held at Four Oaks,
Birmingham, George Graham, of Yardley, was
accompanied by a friend who was displaying a

310 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

large expanse of waistcoat, on which a watch-
chain hung conspicuously. Graham pointed out
the great risk he was running, but the man pooh-
poohed the idea that his watch was in danger;
he had, he said, been racing all his life and never
lost anything. Graham thought he would teach
him a lesson. He arranged for some of the
Birmingham “ boys ”’ to get his friend’s watch,
and promised that he would redeem it with a
“fiver.” Before many minutes elapsed the watch
had been stolen. The loser went to Graham,
looking very crestfallen. “‘ What did I tell you ?
You have only yourself to blame,” was all the
sympathy he got. Graham, however, promised
he would do his best to recover the watch, and,
thoroughly enjoying the practical joke he had
played, went off to redeem the “swag.” ‘‘ Very
sorry, Mr. Graham, but we were so hard pressed
we had to pass the ‘ticker’ on to the London
division, and they’ll want more than a ‘ fiver.’ ”’
It cost Graham a pretty penny to get his friend’s
watch back, but he was in honour bound to pay
the sum demanded.

Two more watch stories come to my mind.
The late Mr. James Weatherby was one day
mounting his cob at the back of the stand at
Epsom towards the close of the afternoon’s
racing, when he was suddenly surrounded by a
gang of roughs who held his arms up while they
cleared his pockets. While the robbers were

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LUCKLESS FRIAR’S BALSAM § 311

busy, Sir John Astley came on the scene, and
rushed to Mr. Weatherby’s rescue. But he
was too late; the thieves had finished their
‘“‘job,” and bolted as the portly baronet ap-
proached. Mr. Weatherby was staying at Tad-
worth, and had to ride past Tattenham Corner.
I was sitting there that afternoon in a landau
with my wife. I had not my watch on me—I
never took it to Epsom—and was wondering
_ whether it was not time I went to the stables to
look after my horses. Seeing Mr. Weatherby,
I asked him what o’clock it was. He looked at
| me wistfully. “‘ Who has been telling you?”
he asked. “Telling me what?’ I rejoined.
- When he found I had put my first question in all
| innocence, he proceeded to tell me what had
happened. I never heard, but I have no doubt
he got his watch back.

I was leaving the Brighton racecourse one
day with Mr. H. Newman, a great friend of old
Alec Taylor’s. We had come out while the last
race was being run, but before we could get a cab
the race was over and there was the customary
rush from the stand. Newman was accosted by
a rufhan, who pulled out his watch and broke it
off the chain. Glancing at his “ capture,” the
thief found it was a cheap one, and flung the
watch at Newman’s head. Newman was yelling
for the police. I turned to him and said, “ For
Heaven’s sake, be quiet. If you give the thief

312 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

in charge we may be detained here for a week, _
and I have other things to do.” Newman pro-—
tested, but in the end abandoned the idea of
giving the man into custody. On his head,
where the watch hit him, there was a lump as_

big as a pigeon’s egg. ;

SAINFOIN AND COMMON

In 1888 I attended, as usual, the sale of yearlings
which had been reared at the Royal Paddocks,
Hampton Court. Before the sale began I
wandered round and examined the lots that
were to come under the hammer. I was particu-
larly struck by a chestnut colt by Springfield out
of Sanda. Later I met Sir Robert Jardine, who
asked me if I had seen anything I liked. “ Yes,”’
I replied, ‘I have seen a little chestnut colt by
Springfield I am rather fond of.’’ Sir Robert
suggested we should go and look at him together,
and when he had seen the colt he said he would
buy him. This pronouncement rather took the
wind out of my sails. I explained that I had
intended buying the colt myself. “Then we
will have him between us,” said Sir Robert,
“and you shall take him to Kingsclere to train.”
In due course the colt went into the ring, and I
was able to buy him for 550 guineas. We called
him Sainfoin. When fully grown he did not
measure more than 15.2. He was, however,
very cleverly made, and blessed with a most
313

314. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

amiable disposition. ‘The first mention of him
in my “Trial Book occurs under the date
June 14, 1889, when the following test gallop
was recorded:
Six Furlongs

Lozenge, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib.

Blue Green, 2 yrs., 9 st. 3 lb. .

Sainfoin, 2 yrs., 9 st. 3 lb.

Orwell, 2 yrs., 9 st. 3 lb.

(Four others were in the gallop.)

Won by three-quarters of a length; the same
between second and third.

~_ Ww N

The trial was probably arranged mainly for the
purpose of testing Blue Green, for five days later
he started second favourite for the Triennial at
Ascot, only to run unplaced. It was, indeed,
not until the autumn that Blue Green came to
himself. At Stockbridge he was third in the
Hurstbourne Stakes, and at York second in the
Prince of Wales’s Plate; but at the Newmarket
Houghton Meeting he won the Criterion Stakes,
and ran a dead-heat with Vermilion for the
Houghton Stakes.

Sainfoin’s first race in public was for the
Astley Stakes at Lewes in August. I wrote to
Sir Robert Jardine to inform him I thought of
starting the colt in that event, and that in my
opinion he had a very good chance of winning.
Sir Robert afterwards told me my letter quite —
surprised him; he had entirely forgotten he had

SAINFOIN AND COMMON 315

any interest in Sainfoin! The youngster, with
odds of 8 to 1 laid against him, won the Astley
Stakes very easily. He did not run again that
season. His engagements were not numerous,
but why he only met one of them I cannot now
remember.

During the ensuing winter Sainfoin pro-
gressed satisfactorily. ‘The measure of his im-
_| provement was revealed to us on April 19, when
he won the following trial:

One Mile
Sainfoin, 3 yrs., 9 st. . I
Gay Hampton, 4 yrs., 9 st. 2
Bena, 3 yrs., 8 st. 5 Ib. ‘ ‘ Mic oe
Vasistas, 4 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. . : ; < vk

Won by three lengths ; a length between second
and third ; three lengths between third and fourth.

That, to say the least, was an encouraging per-
formance. It looked better still when, four
days later, Gay Hampton, giving 29 lb., ran
Red Eagle to a length in the Copthorne
Handicap at Epsom, because at Lincoln Red
_ Eagle had won the Welbeck Stakes over six
- furlongs.

_ On the 25th, six days after the trial, Sainfoin,
carrying 6 st. 11 lb., won the Esher Stakes at
Sandown Park, in a canter by four lengths. It
must be remembered that in those days, and for
long afterwards, the Esher Stakes was a handicap

316 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE —

for three-year-olds and upwards, and not, as now, —
a race for three-year-olds only. The style in —
which Sainfoin defeated his opponents made a_
good impression on many people, notably Sir
James Miller, then a subaltern in the 14th
Hussars. After Surefoot had won the Two —
Thousand, Sir James, accompanied by Mr. —
Joseph Davis, the present manager of Hurst —
Park, came to Kingsclere and opened negotia- —
tions for the purchase of Sainfoin. I informed ~
Sir Robert Jardine of these overtures. He re-~
plied that I could deal with the horse in the way _
I thought best. Re

This placed me in rather an awkward pre-—
dicament. The public had come to regard —
Sainfoin as a fairly strong candidate for Derby ©
honours ; his chance would, indeed, have looked ©
a very good one but for the fact that Surefoot —
had to be reckoned with. Surefoot, however,
appeared to be sadly in the way; so much so that,
after carefully weighing up the arguments pro —
and con, I came to the conclusion Sainfoin was —
not likely to beat Mr. Merry’s colt at Epsom. —
I therefore took the responsibility of selling the —
son of Springfield to Sir James Miller. It was
arranged that the “consideration” should be
£6000, plus half the Derby Stakes if the colt
won that race. When the deal was completed
Sir Robert Jardine expressed himself perfectly —

SAINFOIN AND COMMON 317

had got the best end of the bargain. Events
proved that we hadn’t.

Sainfoin remained under my care until the
end of September that year. The first race in
which he carried his new owner’s colours was the
Dee Stakes at Chester. Odds of 16 to I were
laid on him, and he had no difficulty in beating
his only opponent, the Duke of Beaufort’s Bull’s
Eye.

Then came the Derby, for which Surefoot, a
son of Wisdom, started favourite, odds of 95
to 40 being laid on him. As a two-year-old he
had won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, the New
Stakes at Ascot (beating Heaume, destined to
win the French Derby), and the Findon Stakes
at Goodwood. In the Two Thousand Guineas
_ he met a strongly fancied opponent in Le Nord,
_ and beat him easily. It will be seen, therefore,
that public form pointed unmistakably to Sure-
foot as the probable winner of the Derby, and
backers of Sainfoin had no difficulty in getting
6 to 1 to their money.

_ Those of my readers who saw the Derby that
year will not have forgotten their experience. I
refer not merely to the shock and disappointment
which the defeat of the favourite occasioned,
but also to the miserable weather that prevailed.
Rain fell all day long, and came down in sheets
while the big race was being run. In addition
to Sainfoin, I saddled the Duke of Westminster’s

318 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Orwell, a son of Bend Or; and right well he ran
too, for he led the field until little more than a
furlong from home. He was then headed by
Sainfoin, who had been lying second from
Tattenham Corner. Sainfoin won by three-
quarters of a length from Le Nord. Orwell
and Surefoot close up were, respectively, third
and fourth. The general impression, and one
with which I entirely agreed, was that want of
stamina brought about Surefoot’s downfall. At
Tattenham Corner, half a mile from home, he
as “ pulling double.” Then he began to lose
ground, and was for a time quite out of the
picture. When, however, he got his second
wind, he began to draw up to the leaders, and
when Sainfoin passed the winning post, Surefoot
was only about a length behind him, and yet
unplaced ! My feelings when I saw Sainfoin
first past the post were of a mixed character.
For Sir James Miller’s sake, and for the sake of
Kingsclere I was very pleased; but I was
naturally vexed that by the sale of the colt Sir
Robert Jardine had been deprived of the pleasure
of winning the Derby. I need only add that
Sir Robert took his disappointment in a very
sportsmanlike way.
At Ascot, a fortnight later, additional proof —

was forthcoming that Sainfoin was a better

stayer than Surefoot. They both competed for
the Hardwicke Stakes over a mile and a half.

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SAINFOIN AND COMMON _ 319

Sainfoin finished second, beaten a length by
Amphion; Surefoot came in four lengths behind
the Derby winner. In the St. Leger this form
was again vindicated. I saddled no fewer than
five horses for the Doncaster “ classic’”’ that
year—Sir James Miller’s Sainfoin; the Duke of
Westminster’s Blue Green-and Orwell ; Mr. John
Gretton’s Gonsalvo ; and Mr. W. Low’s Right-
away. Memoir, the Oaks winner, captured
the prize for the Duke of Portland ; Blue Green,
Gonsalvo and Sainfoin finished second, third,
and fourth; Surefoot was some way behind.
Sainfoin left Kingsclere shortly after the
St. Leger to be trained at Newmarket. He did
not win another race. When retired to the
stud, he was at the outset located at Newmarket,
his fee being 50 guineas. Then for a season
or two he was at a farm near Midhurst in Sussex,
but returned to Newmarket when Sir James
Miller established there the Hamilton Stud.
Here it was that Sainfoin begat Rock Sand who,
in 1903, won the Two Thousand Guineas, Derby
and St. Leger. After Sir James Miller’s death
in 1906, Sainfoin was sold by auction to Lord
Carnarvon for 700 guineas, and for four years
stood at the Cloghran Stud near Dublin. Then
he was sold for a trivial sum to Messrs. Slocock,
and died in 1911 at Carlow. As a stallion,
Sainfoin’s renown rests chiefly on the achieve-
ments of his son Rock Sand, who, after Sir

320 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

James Miller’s death, was sold to Mr. August
Belmont, of New York, for £25,000. After
being for some years in America, Rock Sand
was acquired by a French syndicate, and died
in France in 1914.

The late Sir Richard Green Price, writing
about the time Sainfoin won the Derby, paid
the following just tribute to the son of Spring-
- field :—*‘ Sainfoin is . . . medium-sized, level, true
in his slow paces as in his fast; fine tempered
and willing to do his best ; not a smasher, but a
wearer down of such as Surefoot, and his very
looks tell you so as surely as a knowledge of
horseflesh is your heritage.”

Reverting to the St. Leger of 1890, I find,
on looking at the Racing Calendar, that, the odds
laid against the Kingsclere candidates were :—
4 to 1 Sainfoin, ro to 1 Blue Green, 25 to 1
Right-away, and 200 to 1 each Gonsalvo and
Orwell. These “prices” notwithstanding,
Right-away (brother to Veracity) was the best
of the lot. We all thought so. Unfortunately,
however, he broke down badly during the race.
I bought him for Mr. Low as a yearling at
Doncaster for 1150 guineas. When a_ two-

year-old he won four of the seven races in which ~

he ran; and at Liverpool, the following spring,
won the Bickerstaffe Stakes. The fact that he
did not race again until the St. Leger indicates
the trouble we had with his legs; but, before

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SAINFOIN AND COMMON 321

Doncaster we had, as we thought, got him fairly
sound again. The St. Leger brought his racing
career to a sudden end. If Right-away had
been endowed with legs capable of standing more
work the probability is he would have done big
things on the Turf.

Another of the Kingsclere winners in 1890
was [he Imp, by Robert the Devil. He secured
the “Jubilee’’ Stakes at Kempton. At that
time he belonged to Sir J. T. Mackenzie ; but
a fortnight later he was transferred to the Prince
of Wales. He did not win again that season,
but in 1891 was successful in handicaps at
Manchester, Ascot, and Goodwood.

One of the yearlings that came to me from
Crichel in 1889 was Common, bred by Lord
Alington, who owned him in partnership with
Sir Frederick Johnstone. He was a big brown
colt by Isonomy out of Thistle, by Scottish Chief.
At that time he was thought to be nothing out
of the way. His appearance, indeed, was such,
that he gave one the impression he would be
useless on the Turf. He was not a horse at all
—a bit here and a bit there, weedy and thin,
with legs and joints everything they should not
have been. Virtually he was a cripple. There
was only one course to pursue with him, and
that was to give him plenty of time to come to
himself. Little by little I managed to build
him up. Many months had sped by before

b

322 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

he began to show real improvement, but when
the desired change did at last become manifest,
he gathered strength fairly rapidly. No attempt
was, however, made to race him as a two-year-old.
Had we forced him at that stage the consequences
would probably have been disastrous.

In the early spring of 1891 he shaped
splendidly, and I was not at all surprised when
he won a trial to which we subjected him on
April 23 with a view to discovering what sort
of a chance he had in the Two Thousand Guineas.
The result of the gallop was as follows :

One Mile
Common, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. ; - Webb 1
Gay Minstrel, 3 yrs., 8 st. . R . Griffith 2
Gone Coon, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 1b... . Barrett 3

Won by half a length ; two lengths between second
and third.

Gay Minstrel had already that season run
twice without showing much form; on April
16 Gone Coon ran Friar Lubin to a head in
the Craven Stakes at Newmarket.

When Common went to Newmarket for the
Two Thousand Guineas, he travelled in a horse

box for the first time since his arrival at Kings-
clere as a yearling. During the journey he dis- —
played considerable nervousness, especially when —
passing through the tunnels between Ludgate —
Hill and King’s Cross. The fright he then got ©

SAINFOIN AND COMMON 323

caused him to break into a profuse perspiration.
The sides of the box had been newly lime-washed,
and when his moist quarters touched them the
lime adhered to his coat. It will readily be
imagined, therefore, that when we unboxed him
at Newmarket he presented a somewhat quaint
appearance. There were several people at the
station anxious to get an early glimpse of Common,
for it was known that he had won his trial. When
he emerged from the box a thing of sweat and
| patches, one of the bystanders, after gazing at
the comical-looking object for a few moments,
exclaimed, ‘‘ Well, of all the devils I have ever
seen in my life, this beats the lot !”

Immediately prior to the Two Thousand,
_ Common was walking round the paddock like
an old cow. Sir Frederick Johnstone brought

Prince Soltykoff to have a look at him. ‘“‘ He
seems to be well named,’’ was the Prince’s dry
comment. The colt, however, astounded the
Newmarket people by winning the Guineas in
a canter. M. Edmond Blanc’s Gouverneur,
trained by Tom Jennings, was favourite at 5 to
4, and both Peter Flower and Orvieto were at
shorter odds than Common, against whom 9 to
_ Iwas laid. M. Blanc, however, after inspecting
the runners in the paddock before the race,
said: ‘“‘The horse I am most afraid of is
Common.” Orvieto finished second and Peter
_ Flower third. After the race I heard Sir Frederick

Ae
ee?

324 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Johnstone jokingly ask Prince Soltykoff if he
could suggest a better name for the horse.

Common, of course, became forthwith a —
strong favourite for the Derby, and finally his —
supporters could get no more than II to Io —
to their money. Even so, the price was a liberal
one. It was a wretched Derby day—about as
bad as that of the previous year when Sainfoin —
won, for rain fell heavily most of the afternoon. —
The prevailing conditions did not, however, —
impede Common in the least. A quarter of a —
mile from home he and Gouverneur drew right —
away from the others. The favourite gained a ~
decisive lead at the distance, and, without being
pressed, beat the French horse two lengths,

At Ascot, Common won the St. James’ Palace _
Stakes, but in the contest for the Eclipse Stakes _
at Sandown Park in July was beaten a length —
and a half and a short head by Surefoot and
Gouverneur. Those who can call to mind the —
make and shape of Common will, I feel sure, —
agree with me that the Eclipse course was not —
suited to his build and action. His next, and i
last, race was the St. Leger. With odds of 5
to 4 laid on him, he won from M. Blanc’s ©
Révérend and Colonel North’s St. Simon ©
of the Rock; Mimi, the Oaks winner, finished
fourth..: ‘Towatds'the'end of the tace!Commébl 3
backers had a fright, for about half a mile from _
home he appeared to be beaten. But his game-

a

SAINFOIN AND COMMON 325

ness, courage and stamina pulled him through.
He had, however, to be pushed pretty hard to
beat Révérend a length.

Shortly before the St. Leger the owners of
Common received from a representative of the
Austrian Government an offer of 14,000 guineas
for the horse. This was refused, though one of
the conditions accompanying the offer was that
Lord Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone

_ were to receive the St. Leger Stakes if the

horse won. ‘Two days after the race an offer of
15,000 guineas, made by Sir Blundell Maple, was
accepted. This transaction caused quite a sensa-
tion, for it was the biggest sum that had ever
been paid fora racehorse. The following Monday
Sir Blundell received a telegram reading :

Would you accept 20,000 guineas for Common?
Wire reply. Wacpote, Vienna.

Without taking time to consider this offer,
Sir Blundell Maple, in his naturally grandiloquent
way, sent the following message :

Thanks for offer. The English Turf requires
Common’s services. Money will not tempt me.
BiunpeLt Map te.

Common’s new owner meant well. He believed
that by refusing to part with the horse he was
doing both English breeders and himself a good
turn. He made a mistake. One way and

326 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

another Common lost him a bonny penny, for
he was a disappointment as a stallion. The
best of his sons and daughters were Nun Nicer
(winner of the One Thousand Guineas), Osbech,

and Mushroom. When he went to the stud —

his fee was 200 guineas, but by 1910 it had come
down to 19 guineas! Then, however, the
achievements of Mushroom sent it up to 48
guineas, and at that figure it stood when Common
died in December 1912, at Mr. Boyce Barrow’s
stud near Chelmsford. After Sir Blundell
Maple’s death in 1903 the horse was presented
by the widow to Mr. Barrow.

It has repeatedly been stated that in deciding
to start Common at the stud as a four-year-old
Sir Blundell Maple disdained all advice to the
contrary. This was not the case. He wanted
the horse to remain in training, provided I would
keep him at Kingsclere. I could not, however,

accept Sir Blundell as a patron of the Kingsclere —
establishment because I was already training for
so many owners. But this did not entirely
exonerate Sir Blundell from blame in pursuing ©
the course he did. I have always maintained i
that his judgment was at fault. If Common |
had raced as a four-year-old he would almost
certainly have proved himself a great Cup horse, ;

and he ought to have had the chance of so doing.

After Common had won the St. Leger i |
received the following letter from Lord Alington: :

en a a a

ea
FM and .

SAINFOIN AND COMMON 327

Porter, I send you a cheque for a thousand, and thank
you also very much for all your trouble, not to mention

skill, you showed in giving such good advice as to not

training him as a two-year-old. Also for the splendid
condition you brought him to the three posts. I think
you won the races for us, not the horse. You are by
far the best trainer in England.—Your friend,

ALINGTON.
P.S.—I am engaged to be married.

This handsome acknowledgment of my ser-
vices was some consolation for the disappointment
I felt when I found I must abandon the hope
I had entertained of training Common to do big
things as a four-year-old.

ORME AND LA FLECHE

Tue name of Baron Maurice Hirsch appears
in the Kingsclere list of winning owners for the
first time in 1890. He had been “ introduced ”
to the stable the previous year by the Prince.
The Baron was born at Munich, 1831. His
grandfather amassed wealth as a banker and
financier, and he himself enlarged the fortune he
inherited by undertaking big contracts for the
construction of railways in Germany, Belgium,
Holland, Russia, and Turkey. He also derived
additional wealth through his wife. After the
Franco-German war he settled in Paris. In 1887
a great sorrow befell him, for his son died that
year. The son was a frequent visitor to England
and had made many friends here. This led the
Baron to come himself. He quickly made a
position in society, and entered thoroughly into
our sporting ways. In 1891 he won on the
Turf stakes amounting to £7000, and in 1892
£35,000. These sums he divided among various
charities. In 1893 his horses won £7500. To

this amount he added an equal sum and handed
328

ery shee

ORME AND LA FLECHE 329

over to his almoner £15,000 for distribution.
The Baron was a very amiable and generous
man. He seemed fond of his horses, and I
always got on well with him.

In 1889 Baron Hirsch bought several year-
lings at Doncaster which came to Kingsclere,
and also the Grand Prix winner, Vasistas. The
latter won the Chester Cup in 1891. Among
the yearlings were Rose du Barry and Romance,
both of whom won as two-year-olds.

So far as racing is concerned the Baron’s
name will, however, always be associated chiefly
with La Fléche. The Prince of Wales and he
attended the Hampton Court Yearling Sale in
1890. His Royal Highness was greatly taken
with La Fléche, a daughter of St. Simon and

‘Quiver. So were many other good judges of

bloodstock. Everybody, in fact, realised that she

_ Was going to make a big price. The Duke of
_ Portland started the bidding for her with an
_ offer of 3000 guineas. Lord Marcus Beresford,
_ acting on behalf of Baron Hirsch, at once joined
issue. Other bidders were Mr. Douglas Baird

and Robert Sherwood, the latter representing
Colonel North. All the while the Baron was
apparently a careless and disinterested spectator,
but when the hammer fell to Lord Marcus’s
bid of 5500 guineas, Mr. Edmund Tattersall
called for “three cheers for Baron Hirsch and

_ Success to the Royal Stud.” These were heartily

330 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

given. A chronicler rounded off his report of ©
the scene with the words: ‘‘ We do like to see
people spend money, and if we think they are —
spending it rather foolishly, why, we cheer the —
louder! . . . No one pretends that when Baron ~
Hirsch gave that extravagant price he was giving —
the value of the flesh, blood and bones he was ©
purchasing.” This comment reads rather oddly —
in the light of what La Fléche did on the Turf, —
to say nothing of her record as a brood mare. At —
that time, however, 5 500 guineas seemeda stagger- —
ing price fora yearling. It created anew record. —
And so La Fléche came to Kingsclere to be ~
trained. Other yearlings sent me in the autumn
of 1890 were the Duke of Westminster’s Orme;
Lord Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone’s ‘
Goldfinch; and Baron Hirsch’s Watercress. i
Orme and Goldfinch were two of the colts ;
resulting from Ormonde’s first season at the
stud; Watercress was a colt (by Springfield out
of Wharfedale) I bought as a foal from his
breeder, Lord Falmouth. |
It will, I think, be as well to dispose of. ;
Goldfinch right away. There is not much that
need be said about him. He showed fine form
as a two-year-old, but did not as a three-year-old |
fulfil the promise of his juvenile days. On
May 15, 1891, I tried him three lengths
better than the three-year-old Patrol at level
weights, and on the 18th he started favourite —

ORME AND LA FLECHE 331

for and won a Biennial at Kempton Park.
Tried again, a week before Ascot, he beat the
two-year-old. Polyglot at level weights by a
head; behind them were three other two-year-
olds, and Patrol. At the Royal Meeting Gold-
finch won the New Stakes and Polyglot the

__ Triennial. The only other race in which Gold-

finch took part that season was the July Stakes
at Newmarket. In that contest he was beaten
a head by Flyaway. Leg trouble then overtook
him, and we had to put him on one side for the
remainder of the season. The following year
I managed to get him through a preparation
for the Two Thousand Guineas, but he broke
down during the race, and finished unplaced
behind Bona Vista. A good horse, his career
was ruined by inherent unsoundness. Lord
Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone sold him
to Mr. J. B. Haggin, the American breeder, for
4000 guineas. He sired many useful horses in
the United States, where he died in 1914.

The first mention of La Fléche in my Trial
Book occurs under date June 25, 1891. She was
then of course a two-year-old. The record is:

Five Furlongs.

Windgall, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. : . »* Barrett ‘r
La Fléche, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 lb... . Chaloner 2
Massacre, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. 4 : — 3
Rose du Barry, 3 yrs., 9 st. ‘ ‘ — 4

Won by half a length; a length between second
and third; three lengths between third and fourth.

+.

* oy

332 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Windgall was a colt by Galliard, owned by Baron
Hirsch. At the beginning of April he ran third
for the Althorp Park Stakes at Northampton.
Five weeks later he won at Kempton Park
the Spring Two-Year-Old Stakes, worth nearly

£2700, beating The Smew, Bushey Park, and —

several others; and the following week carried
off the Breeders’ Plate at Newmarket. Massacre,
a three-year-old colt by Muncaster, had on June
16 easily won a race over five furlongs at
Windsor. The “tackle” was therefore pretty
good.

It was in the Chesterfield Stakes at New-
market, on July 16, that La Fléche made her
first public appearance. She started favourite,

with odds of 6 to 4 laid against her. Bona Vista
and Lady Hermit, two of her four opponents, —
were, however, also freely backed. The former —

had won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, and

Lady Hermit, owned by Colonel North, had won ~

the Foal Stakes at Manchester, the Great Surrey

Plate at Epsom, and the Hurstbourne Stakes at —

Stockbridge—all valuable races. La Fléche was,

then, ‘‘ taking something on,” but she emerged ~
from the ordeal with colours flying, beating ~

Lady Hermit two lengths, with Bona Vista third, —

three-quarters of a length away. Her next two —

outings were at Goodwood, where she won the
Lavant Stakes, beating Sir Blundell Maple’s
Priestess (who cost 4000 guineas as a yearling),

ORME AND LA FLECHE 333

and the Molecomb Stakes. She ran only once
more that season—in the Champagne Stakes at
Doncaster. This race is of special interest in
view of what happened the following year. La
Fléche won by a length and a half from Mr.
Noel Fenwick’s Gossoon. Then, beaten six

lengths, came Wisdom’s son, Sir Hugo, who

was destined to win a sensational Derby. The
four races won by La Fléche as a two-year-old
were worth £3415. No further evidence was
needed to prove that Baron Hirsch was well
advised when he gave 5500 guineas for the
daughter of St. Simon. |

In the meantime Orme had made a successful
debut on the Turf. He was the fifth foal pro-
duced by St. Simon’s sister, Angelica. The
mare was sent, with other yearlings bred by
Prince Batthyany, to be sold at Newmarket
in July 1880. Mr. Taylor Sharpe, the breeder
of Galopin, bought her for fifty guineas! It
was not, however, until St. Simon had revealed
his brilliance that the great bargain secured by
Mr. Sharpe became apparent. Angelica did not
race; whether she was ever in training I cannot
say. She was put to the stud as a three-year-
old, and in 1883 and 1884 bred fillies to Glendale
and Ceeruleus. There was no produce from her
in either of the two following years. It would
be in 1886 that she passed into the possession
of the Duke of Westminster, for in 1887 she

334 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE
produced at Eaton the colt Blue Green by Mr.

Sharpe’s horse Cceruleus. The following year —

came Order (who went to America), by Bend Or;
then Orme, by Ormonde.

When Orme reached Kingsclere as a yearling —
he showed great promise. The Duke was very —

fond of him, and the colt had not been many ©
months under my care before I began to entertain —

great expectations regarding his future. On July

13, 1891, three days before La Fléche won her —

*
wv
4

first race at Newmarket, we tried Orme as —

follows:
Five Furlongs.
Orme, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. . ; . Barrett 1
Massacre, 3 yrs.,9 st.7 1b... . Viney 2
Oran, 2 yrs., 8 st. . ; ; ; — 3
Orville, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. : ; — 4
Ortegal, 2 yrs., 8 st. ‘ — 5

Won by half a length; two nena between
second and third; two lengths between third and
fourth.

La Fléche’s victory in the race for the Chester- —
field Stakes enabled us to gauge the merits of —
Orme pretty accurately. When tried three —

weeks previously, La Fléche, in receipt of 14 |b.,

had finished a length in front of Massacre, so
that, judged collaterally, Orme was the sex

allowance (3 lb.) and half a length behind the —

daughter of St. Simon—practically a length.
This form enabled me to take Orme to Good-
wood buoyed up with the hope and belief that

ORME AND LA FLECHE 335

he would acquit himself with credit. And he
did, for, with odds of 5 to 4 laid on him, he

won the Richmond Stakes the first day, beating

Flyaway (who was giving 9 lb.) by three-quarters
of a length. The third day Orme won the
Prince of Wales’s Stakes very comfortably. The
two races were worth nearly £4000.
Immediately after the Doncaster Meeting, at
which Common won the St. Leger and La
Fléche the Champagne Stakes, I received the

following letter from the Duke of Westminster,

who was in Scotland:
Locu Mors, Sepér. 12.

The stable is invincible. This is truly a great year
for it and for you. Given the material, you sehen
know how to make the best use of it.

So Golden Maze has turned out a good investment !

I should like to have a good reason for ot running
Orme for the Lancashire Plate on the 26th. I don’t
see why he should not go for it and win. His meeting

_ with Fléche in the Middle Park will be very interesting,
_ and I should back the colt.—Yours truly,

WESTR.

Golden Maze was a four-year-old filly by Bend
Or I had bought from the Prince of Wales

_ earlier in the year. When the Duke wrote his

letter she had won me two races, and was
successful in others later. As for the reference
to Orme, I have no recollection of the circum-
stances which caused the Duke to write in the
way he did. Whatever they were, Orme

336 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

competed for the Lancashire Plate at the Man- —
chester September meeting. It was a prize of ©
£11,000 for two-, three- and four-year-olds, with —
liberal allocations to the owners of the second —
and third, and also to the nominators of the ©
three placed horses. There were nine runners, —
and Orme was one of four two-year-olds that —
took part. He was carrying considerably more ©
weight than the other juveniles. Orme finished —
second, beaten half a length by Signorina. This ©
result was naturally disappointing to ourselves. —
As a two-year-old in 1889, Signorina was, of
course, extraordinarily brilliant and won all the —
nine races she ran. The following season, —
however, she lost her form, and was successful ~
only once in five outings. In 1891 she had ~
been beaten twice at Ascot, finishing second each bY;
time, before she met and defeated Orme. at. { i

discomfiture, for the Lancashire Plate was i
worth £8971 to the winner. By finishing second ©
Orme placed £1500 to the credit of the Duke.

Let me add that I have no desire to make —
it appear we grudged the Chevalier Ginnistrelli
his triumph. Signorina, a daughter of the mare —
Star of Portici, whom he brought with him from —

apple of his eye,’ ’ and he was entitled to a full —
measure of praise for the wonderful success
which attended her efforts on the Turf, because

ORME AND LA FLECHE 337

he trained the filly himself. After the lapse of
nearly a score of years he could claim another
and a greater triumph when he prepared
Signorinetta, a daughter of Signorina, to win
the Derby and Oaks of 1908. Who that
witnessed it will ever forget the remarkable

scene on Epsom Downs when, immediately

after Signorinetta had won the Oaks, King
Edward received the Chevalier in his box and,
after congratulating him personally, took him to
the front of the Stand and “ presented ”’ the
proud Italian gentleman to the crowd surging

and cheering below. It was one of those happy,
spontaneous, graceful and tactful actions that so

endeared the King to his people.

The Duke of Westminster was denied the
pleasure and satisfaction of seeing Orme opposing
La Fléche in the Middle Park Plate because, as
we have already recorded, the filly ran no more
that season after her victory at Doncaster.
Kingsclere was, however, dually represented in

the race, for we ran Sir Frederick Johnstone’s
| Polyglot as well as Orme. There were ten
runners, but Orme’s superiority over his rivals
seemed so pronounced that odds of 15 to 8

were laid on him. Speculators who put their

money on the favourite experienced no anxiety,

for he won easily by two lengths from Colonel

North’s El Diablo, with Mr. Noel Fenwick’s

filly Gantlet third. The latter, by Galopin, was
Z

338 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

subsequently bought for the Eaton Stud, and
became the dam of Duke of Westminster, a colt
who made some stir as a juvenile. A fortnight —
later Orme won the Dewhurst Plate, giving 6 lb. —
to El Diablo and beating him three-quarters —
of a length; and the following day he rounded —
off his two-year-old career by securing the
Home-bred Foal Stakes from three moderate ©
opponents. Orme, therefore, that season won —
five of the six races in which he ran, and, taking - !
no account of the “ place’’ money he secured —
at Manchester, captured stakes to the value of q
£8174. So far as the two-year-old form was —
acceptable as a guide, he was manifestly the best ©
colt of his age. F

I mentioned Baron Hirsch’s colt Watercress —
as one of the good two-year-olds we had at
Kingsclere that season. That he is entitled to
be so described is shown by the record of a trial —
which took place on September 19: a

Six Furlongs.
Watercress, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. . . Barrett 1
Massacre, 3 yrs.,9 st.7 1b... ; — 2
Candahar, 2 yrs., 7 st. 12 lb. . ; — 3
Won by a neck; four lengths between second

and third. a
It will be noticed that, like La Fléche and Orme
in the earlier trials, Watercress was receiving a
stone from the three-year-old Massacre. As
the gallop took place three months after those —

ORME AND LA FLECHE 339

by which La Fléche and Orme were tested, he
was virtually meeting Massacre on § |b. better
terms than they did; nevertheless, taking the
trial as it stands, it shows him to have been very

nearly their equal. We thought he was sure to

win the Rous Memorial at Newmarket on
October 2. He started a hot favourite, but
was unaccountably beaten out of a “ place.”

He was a big colt—too big to permit of his

doing much as a two-year-old—and after his

defeat at Newmarket we did not persevere with

him any further that season.

The plans we had made for the racing
campaign of 1892 were sadly upset by an
outrage of which Orme was the victim. His
first race was to have been the Two Thousand
Guineas at the beginning of May. During the
winter he had given every satisfaction, and when
I began seriously to train him again his progress
was all that could be desired.

A few days before the Guineas, Prince
Adolphus of Teck, Lord Marcus Beresford (who
managed the horses belonging to the Prince of

| Wales and Baron Hirsch), and Mr. Portal paid
a visit to Kingsclere, and at “stables” in the
afternoon I accompanied them round the boxes.

Presently we came to Orme, who was, as usual,

[

_ Wearing a muzzle because of his habit of trying

to bite the metal strips on the walls of his box.
I noticed some saliva dripping from the muzzle,

340 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

and after my visitors had departed went back
to Orme to find out what was the matter. An
examination revealed a swollen mouth.

The first idea to enter my head was that
there must be some tooth trouble, and I at

Se

once sent a telegram to Loeffler, the horse —

dentist at Newmarket, requesting him to come

to Kingsclere. He arrived the following day, —

and declaring that one of Orme’s incisors was

diseased, extracted it. We both examined the
tooth. Loeffler asserted it was diseased. With

that opinion I disagreed ; I satisfied myself that .

the tooth was perfectly sound. There was, no ©
doubt, an offensive odour given off, but I —
protested that it was due to the decomposing —
food adhering to the tooth. Loeffler strongly ©
resented the expression of my opinion, con- —

tradicting as it did his diagnosis, and he became 3

very excited.

Anyhow, the removal of the tooth brought —
no relief to Orme. He became indeed rapidly —
worse, so I summoned Mr. Williams, the
veterinary professor, who hastened to Kingsclere, —
together with his son. After a careful examina-~
tion they told me that Orme had been poisoned. —
I had already come to the same conclusion. By
now the tongue was so enlarged that Orme
could swallow neither liquid nor solid food. All

the symptoms pointed to mercurial poisoning.
The hair of his coat began to come off, and

ORME AND LA FLECHE 341

before long his skin looked as though it had
been shaved with a razor.

For several days Orme hovered between life
and death. It was almost a hopeless case. We
did not leave him alone for a moment. His
illness caused much excitement all over the
country. ‘The newspapers filled columns with

_ trivial details, for reporters came in crowds to
Kingsclere. Punch perpetrated the following:

Orme! sweet Orme! Orme is still off solid food
and is kept alive entirely by Porter. It is the opinion of
the best informed that “ Porter with a head on” will
pull him through. Smoking is not permitted in the
stable, but there is evidence of there being several “‘ strong
backers ”’ about.

The Duke of Westminster, who was natu-
rally greatly distressed, authorised the publica-
tion of a notice which read:

One THousanp Pounps REwarp—PoIsONING OF
ORME

Whereas, on the 21st of April last, at Kingsclere
Stable, in the County of Hants, the racehorse Orme,
the property of his Grace the Duke of Westminster, was
wilfully poisoned, the above reward will be paid by the
Duke of Westminster to any person who shall, within
one month from this date, furnish such information as
shall lead to the apprehension and conviction of the
person or persons guilty of the said crime. Information
to be furnished to Messrs. Lewis & Lewis, Ely Place,
Holborn, E.C.

ree |
$a

342. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

We were unable to bring the crime home to
the guilty individual. I, however, had strong
reason for suspecting one of my employees ; but
as the case against him was not conclusive, in a
legal sense, I could do no more than discharge ~
him. We found out that before Orme’s illness
became known to the public, this man hired a
horse in the village and rode into Newbury,
where he met some friends at an hotel. It is
believed that he there imparted, as a great secret,
the news that the colt would not run in the
Derby. Needless to say there was little difficulty
in making illicit but profitable use of this informa-
tion. About the time the poison must have been
given to Orme our stable lads held a concert,
and I was afterwards told that the man I suspected
was the only “lad” who did not attend the
entertainment. That might have been a mere
coincidence, of course, but it certainly tended to
confirm my belief that he was the culprit.

Thanks to his wonderful constitution Orme
managed to pull through—to that and the great
probability that the ball containing the mercury
did not get beyond his mouth. It was always
extremely difficult to make Orme swallow a pill.

In July, three months after his illness began,
Orme won the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park!
I make bold to boast that in getting the horse
fit enough for that effort I accomplished the
most remarkable feat to which I can lay claim. —

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ORME AND LA FLECHE 343

When he went to Sandown he was not, of course,
the horse he ought to have been, but for a month
or so he had picked up strength in an astonishing
way, and I had no hesitation in advising the Duke
to run him. His Grace was hugely delighted
when he saw Orme defeat Orvieto by a neck.
And so were the public. There was a great
scene when Orme’s number went up. For two
or three minutes the Duke, who had watched
the race sitting between the Duke of Cambridge
and Lord Penrhyn, stood, hat in hand, bowing
to the crowd as they cheered and cheered again.
And many of my friends were good enough to
shower congratulations upon me. I am bound
to say I felt very proud indeed. George Barrett
rode Orme and handled him very well. Orvieto
and Orme, side by side, were in front of the field
all the way up the straight. Barrett waited until
a few strides from the post, and then suddenly
shot Orme out to win by a neck.

We were not altogether unprepared for this
happy result. Four days before the race I was able
to place the following record in my Trial Book:

Orme, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb. . ; . Webb 1
Ormuz, 6 yrs., 8 st. 2 lb. ’ ‘ Peak 2
Blue Green, 5 yrs., 9 st. . i . Barrett 3

Won by two lengths; four lengths between
second and third.

The report current at Sandown on Eclipse
day was that I had tried Orme to be 7 Ib. better

344 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

than Blue Green. And so I had, plus six
lengths! If the full strength of the gallop had
been known I fancy Orme, instead of starting
with 5 to 4 laid against him, would have been
an odds-on favourite. Blue Green had, it may
be remembered, won the Alexandra Plate at
Ascot a month previously.

At Goodwood a fortnight later Orme won the
Sussex Stakes with some difficulty, for it was by
a head only that he beat his stable companion
Watercress. That race was over a mile. Though
gaining strength every day Orme was not yet
quite himself. His next outing was in the St.
Leger, but before dealing with that contest we
had better return to La Fléche and relate the

story of her doings in the spring and summer of (

that year.

The filly’s first race in 1892 was the One
Thousand Guineas. She did so well in the early
months of the year that we did not think it
necessary to subject her to a formal trial before
sending her to Newmarket. The public were
so satisfied with her appearance that odds of 2
to 1 were freely laid on her for the Guineas,
and she won the race readily by a length from
The Smew and Adoration, with Gantlet, Lady
Hermit, and two others behind.

La Fléche then “rested” until the Derby.
Her chance at Epsom looked so good that she
was practically backed against the field, which

4

ORME AND LA FLECHE 345

included Bona Vista and St. Angelo (placed first
and second in the Two Thousand), and M.

-Blanc’s Rueil, who, a few days later, was to win

the Grand Prix de Paris. At 100 to 9 Rueil
started second favourite for the Derby.

This Derby was a race the recollection of
which always arouses within me a feeling of
annoyance. La Fléche finished second, beaten
three-quarters of a length by Lord Bradford’s
Sir Hugo, one of the “‘ outsiders.”’ She would, if
properly ridden, have won in a canter. Coming
down the hill to Tattenham Corner, she was
lying eight or ten lengths behind the leaders
instead of being at their heels. There must have
been something the matter with Barrett (La
Fléche’s jockey) that day. It was sheer madness
or stupidity on his part to allow her to be so
far behind at that stage. After entering the
straight Barrett undoubtedly did his utmost to
repair his mistake by pushing the filly along with
all his persuasive powers, but he was asking her
to do an impossibility. The long and the short
of it is that the jockey rode a shockingly bad
race, and thoroughly deserved all the blame he
received. I believe he was chatting with some

of the other jockeys in the early part of the
| face instead of concentrating his attention on
the business in hand. Knowing as he did

what La Fléche’s abilities were, he despised
her opponents. There were at that time

346 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

indications that Barrett’s brain was slightly
affected.
The defeat of La Fléche was a most grievous —
business for everybody associated with the Kings-
clere stable. Baron Hirsch in particular was
entitled to sympathy, for he had been literally
robbed of the honour of leading in the winner
of the Derby by gross carelessness on the part
of his jockey. And Barrett’s conduct all but
deprived the Baron of the consolation he derived
when La Fléche won the Oaks two days later.
The tremendous but unavailing effort she made
towards the finish of the Derby had seriously —
jeopardised her chance in the fillies’ race. The
interval of forty-eight hours was barely long ©
enough to enable La Fléche, who had a very i
highly-strung temperament, to regain her normal _
condition. She won the Oaks, but it was by a ‘
short head only that she beat The Smew. Before \ f
the contest she was in a very nervous state and —
sweating freely. We allowed Barrett to ride
her again, but not without misgivings. However, i
we had no fault to find with the way he now ©
handled the filly. Although odds of 11 to 8 —
were laid on her, we should not have been in i
the least surprised if she had failed. ,
I did not saddle La Fléche again until Good-
wood, two months later. She then won the ©
Nassau Stakes, giving Broad Corrie 7 lb. anda
length-and-a-half beating. This brings us again

ESS Steg ee ee rss
ay Sam i. > z a oa Ee a
ee a I A Si ig Si ene

ORME AND LA FLECHE 347

to the point at which we broke off the story of
Orme, because the St. Leger at Doncaster was
the next race in which La Fléche took part.
The contest was of particular interest to us,
as well as to the public, for it was the first in
which Orme and La Fléche opposed each other.
It will be remembered that the Duke of West-
minster, in the letter he wrote me twelve months
previously, stated that if Orme and La Fléche
met in the Middle Park Plate he should “ back
the colt.” He used this language in a figurative
sense, because he was not a betting man. Well,
now that the two animals had at last come
together, the public, adopting the Duke’s view
of their merits, made Orme favourite. Odds of
II to 10 were laid on him, whereas 7 to 2 could
be obtained about the filly.

So far as Orme was concerned the race was
a veritable tragedy. He was again ridden by
Barrett. There were rumours that the jockey
had been “squared,” and they reached the
ears of the Duke of Westminster, who, rather
foolishly, perhaps, warned Barrett that his riding
would be closely watched. This nettled the
jockey, and caused him to throw all discretion
to the winds. Before half a mile had been
covered he sent Orme to the front, and in front
the colt remained until a furlong and a half from
home. At that point the horse was beaten; he
had run himself to a standstill. His retirement

348 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

left La Fléche and Sir Hugo at the head of the
field. The filly quickly gained the mastery and
won by two lengths from the Derby winner.
And so the grief occasioned by the wilful tactics
pursued by Barrett with Orme was to some extent —
assuaged by the satisfaction we obtained by the _
avenging of La Fléche’s unlucky and disastrous
defeat at Epsom. Sir Hugo was no dufter, but
he was not a match for the daughter of St. Simon
in a truly-run race.

The defeat of Orme stunned the public. —
Many people failed to understand how it had —

been brought about. The colt was in a ram- _

pageous mood in the paddock before the race,

and that conduct brought upon him the accusa- ‘

tion of being bad-tempered. Worse still, his
collapse inside the distance caused him to be ~
branded a coward, notwithstanding the wonderful
gameness he had shown at Sandown and Good-
wood. It was also suggested that Orme ought ~
not to have been called upon to run at Goodwood _
after his severe race for the Eclipse Stakes at
Sandown. ‘There was some point in this criti- —
cism, because, as I stated in an earlier chapter; ©
I always endeavoured, when given a free hand, to

avoid running a horse likely to win the St. Leger
between the Ascot and Doncaster meetings. But

in the caseof Orme, this and the other speculations 7
referred to were wide of the mark. The real —
truth is that Orme was not naturally a stayer.

ORME AND LA FLECHE 349

I never regarded him as being one. It follows
therefore that the way he was ridden in the St.
Leger was the one best calculated to bring about
his defeat. It all came of the Duke aggravating
Barrett by mentioning the insinuation against the
jockey’s good faith. There is, by the way,
striking confirmation of my opinion regarding
Orme’s lack of stamina in the fact that the
majority of his offspring were mere sprinters.
He was a much better horse over a mile or a mile
and a quarter than over a longer course. The
St. Leger was his only race over a long distance.

Still, it is just possible that but for his illness

he would have won the Derby. He was tremen-
dously good over his best distance. Orme, I
may add, had a will of his own. When he went
to the stud at Eaton his temper was soothed by
giving him a paddock in which to exercise him-
self. It was unusual at that time to treat a stallion
in this way, but nowadays the practice is quite a
common and, I should say, a very sensible one.

Before the season ended Orme won four more
races, all at Newmarket. They were the Great
Foal Stakes, the Champion Stakes, the Limekiln
Stakes, and the Subscription Stakes. In the
Limekiln Stakes, run over the Rowley Mile, he
gave E] Diablo 9 lb. and beat him three lengths.
That was on the Tuesday of the Houghton
Meeting. On the Wednesday he won the
Subscription Stakes, but on the Thursday failed

350 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

by a length and a half to give El Diablo 16 lb.
in the Free Handicap, decided Across the Flat
—ten furlongs. As this was his third race in
three days he may have been a little stale. On
the Limekiln Stakes form he ought successfully
to have conceded the weight to Colonel North’s
horse.

After her victory in the St. Leger, La Fléche
enlarged her sequence of triumphs by winning
the Lancashire Plate (worth £7930) at Man-
chester, and the Grand Duke Michael Stakes,
the Newmarket Oaks, and the Cambridgeshire
at Newmarket. The Derby was the only race
in which she was beaten as a three-year-old.

These autumn races revealed her versatility, for q

the distances were eight, nine, ten, and twelve

furlongs. She was, indeed, a splendid performer y

over every course. As to her staying power we
never reached the end of it.

La Fléche’s effort in the Cambridgeshire was ii

a highly meritorious one, for she had 8 st. 10 Ib. Hi
on her three-year-old back. Only two of her
twenty-eight opponents carried more weight— —

the four-year-old Buccaneer (winner that season

of the City and Suburban, Ascot Cup, and other —

good races), and Miss Dollar, a six-year-old, a
whose 10 Ib. penalty for winning the Duke

of York Handicap at Kempton raised her —
Cambridgeshire weight to 8 st. 11 lb. La h

Fléche was already so fit that, when training ~

ORME AND LA FLECHE 351

her for the race, I gave her very light work just to
keep her in condition. Some interested critics
became very nervous and urged me to give her
stronger gallops. As I refused to adopt their
advice Baron Hirsch was appealed to, but he
replied by telling me to exercise my own judg-
ment. By that time the mare was getting her
winter coat, and I felt certain she would
“progress backwards” if I subjected her to
much exertion. The result of the race amply
justified the course I pursued. La Fléche
started favourite at 7 to 2, and won by a length
and a half from General Owen Williams’s Pen-
sioner, another three-year-old, to whom she was
giving 34 lb. The General, by the way, had
his revenge two days later, when Pensioner won
the Old Cambridgeshire, beating Baron Hirsch’s
Windgall a head. I may add that if the Baron
had not allowed me to have my own way in the
matter of training La Fléche, I should at once
have washed my hands of the whole business,
and allowed some one else to have the responsi-
bility of ruining her chance.

At the end of this season, 1892, the horses
belonging to the Prince of Wales and Baron
Hirsch left Kingsclere to be trained by my
friend Dick Marsh at Newmarket. As I have
no wish to reopen an old sore I shall not gratify
the curiosity of inquisitive mortals by relating
the inner history of this separation. I had at

352 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

the time, however, the comforting assurance

that the Prince and the Baron greatly regretted
the necessity for severing their association with
the stable. That assurance was later, on more _
than one occasion, reconveyed by His Royal
Highness. As for Baron Hirsch his partiality

for Kingsclere was revealed in a very tangible
form twelve months afterwards, when he asked
me to train for him again. I had to tell him it

was impossible for me to take his horses back, :
for the good and sufficient reason that I had no

vacant boxes.

The Baron then made an astonishing and very { \
flattering proposal. “If,” he said, “you are

willing to sell, I will buy Kingsclere for £20,000

As my trainer I will pay you a salary of £1000.
Further, I will place £100,000 in the bank, which — ;
shall be at your absolute disposal for the purchase
of bloodstock, and you shall have the sole manage-
ment of my horses. Any boxes I do not fill you _

can use for horses belonging to other owners.”

I could only express my thanks and my regret —
that I was unable to entertain the offer, because
of my desire to act fairly to my older patrons.
I recommended Baron Hirsch to place his horses _
with George Blackwell, who had been head man
to Matt Dawson. He adopted my suggestion,
but, unfortunately for Blackwell, about twelve —
months after the horses went to him, ie

Hirsch died.

ORME AND LA FLECHE § 353

Orme ran four times as a four-year-old. At
Ascot he won the Rous Memorial Stakes, at
Sandown the Eclipse Stakes a second time, and
at Goodwood the Gordon Stakes; but at the
Newmarket Houghton Meeting in October he
was beaten three-quarters of a length by Sir
Blundell Maple’s colt Childwick (who cost 6000
guineas as a yearling) in the Limekiln Stakes
over the Rowley Mile. He was trying to give
Childwick 33 lb., or 26 lb. more than the weight-
for-age allowance! Even so, odds of 5 to 4
were laid on Orme. The following year Child-
wick won the Cesarewitch ina canter. Both in
the Eclipse at Sandown and in the Gordon
Stakes at Goodwood Orme met La Fléche, now
trained by Dick Marsh. At Sandown he was
giving the customary sex allowance. The mare
finished three and a half lengths behind him,
the pair being divided by Baron Rothschild’s
_ Medicis, who ran Orme to half a length. La
Fléche looked very well that day, but gave a
_ disappointing show and was beaten half a mile
from home. At Goodwood she shaped much
_ better, for, giving 7 Ib., Orme beat her a neck
only.

In the autumn of that season Orme’s legs
_ began to give trouble, and at Newmarket, in the
race in which Childwick beat him, a suspensory
ligament gave way. That misfortune brought

his career on the Turf to an end, and he retired
2A

354 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

to the stud at Eaton, to beget Flying Fox and
many another useful winner. Good horse though
he was as a two- and three-year-old, he was better
still when four years of age. But even when
at his best he was, I should say, from 7 lb. to —
10 Ib. behind his sire, Ormonde. Here is a ©
summary of—

Orme’s Racine Recorp

Two Years Old (1891)

Won Richmond Stakes, Goodwood ; 6 furlongs » £1,06a
Won Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Goodwood; 6 ®
_ furlongs. 2,800
2nd to Signorina, aoaae ‘Plate, eee eiee ; 5<
7 furlongs . —-
Won Middle Park Plate, Newmarket’ 6 fixkdage: 2,505
Won Dewhurst Plate, Newmarket; 7 furlongs . 1,507) ae
Won Home-bred Foal mae a 54 i
furlongs . Y 300

Three Years Old |
Won Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park; ro furlongs . 9,405
Won Sussex Stakes, Goodwood ; a mile. : : 822
Unplaced, St. Leger, Doncaster; 1# mile . . — ay
Won Great Foal Stakes, Newmarket; 10 furlongs . 645
Won Champion Stakes, Newmarket; 10 furlongs . 930 i
Won Limekiln Stakes, Newmarket; a mile . ; S2ta

Won Subscription Stakes, Newmarket; 6 furlongs . 400 ‘i
2nd to El Diablo, Free sane Newmarket ; My
to furlongs. . . ’ —_—

|

|
|
{

ORME AND LA FLECHE 355

Four Years Old

Won Rous Memorial, Ascot; a mile. : «. * £930
Won Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park; rofurlongs . 9,902
Won Goodwood Stakes, Goodwood ; 10 furlongs . 497
2nd to Childwick, Limekiln Stakes, Newmarket ;
a mile ; . ; : A ‘ ‘ —
Total value of Stakes won . + £92,526

He won 14 races, was placed second three times, and unplaced
only once.

It may interest readers to have before them
the racing achievements of La Fléche summarised
ina similar way. Here, therefore, is—

La Frécue’s Racine Recorp

Two Years Old (1891)

Won Chesterfield Stakes, Newmarket; 5 furlongs . £770
Won Lavant Stakes, Goodwood; 5 furlongs . ; 805

Won Molecomb Stakes, Goodwood; 6 furlongs . 640

Won Champagne Stakes, Doncaster; 6 furlongs . 1,200
Three Years Old

| Won One Thousand Guineas, Newmarket; a mile 3,650
_ 2nd in the Derby at Epsom (beaten three-quarters of

a length by Sir Hugo); 14 mile. ‘ ‘ —
Won the Oaks, Epsom, 14 mile . ; : yo” Baee
Won Nassau Stakes, Goodwood; 1 mile ‘ ; 59°
Won the St. Leger, Doncaster; 1? miles . By: 84400
| Won Lancashire Plate, Manchester; 1 mile . . 7,930

Won Grand Duke Michael Stakes, Newmarket;

10 furlongs . ; ; : : é 456
Won Newmarket Oaks; 2 _ d ‘ : : 552

356 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Won Cambridgeshire Ce Newmarket; 9
furlongs . i ‘14 Lr Bos
(La Fléche left Kingsclere at the end of her
three-year-old career.)

3rd Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park (beaten by Orme

p

j

Four Years Old E

4

and Medicis); ro furlongs ; i

2nd Gordon Stakes, Goodwood (beaten a nat be i

Orme, who gave her 7 Ib.) ‘ * #

3rd Lancashire Plate, Manchester (beaten “a ne ig

burn and Isinglass) ; a mile ; bi ;

Won Lowther Stakes, Newmarket; 10 Strict ; 1,025
Unplaced Cambridgeshire (carried 9 st. 7 Ib.),

Newmarket ; 9 furlongs .

Won Liverpool Autumn Cup (Handicap), binviid

g st. 6 lb.; rx furlongs F 1,060
Unplaced Manchester November Handicki (caitied
9 st. 11 Ib.); 1 mile, 6 furlongs ‘ é

as Ne eee Fee

iil ont ae
a a

Five Years Old

Won Ascot Cup, 24 miles . ‘ 2,620
2nd Hardwicke Stakes, Ascot (hoe half a lengtl 7
Ravensbury) ; 1} mile . P
Unplaced Prince Edward Handicap (carried 9 st.
7 lb.), Manchester; 1 mile . 5 i a
Won Champion Stakes, Newmarket ; 10 fthielagp . 930

£34573

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Phase Sa

In 1896, shortly after the death of Baron
Hirsch, La Fléche, covered by Morion, but a

barren, was sold at the Newmarket July Sales to
Sir Tatton Sykes for 12,600 guineas. Her first

ORME AND LA FLECHE 357

produce, a yearling filly by Morion named La
Veine, was on the same occasion sold for 3100
guineas. It will be remembered that in recent
years we saw the mare Flair, with the colt Gallon,
by Gallinule, at foot, sold at Newmarket to Mr.
F. C. Stern for 15,000 guineas. The following
day Gallon was resold to Sir Ernest Cassel for
3000 guineas. This transaction reduced the
price of Flair to 12,000 guineas, so that La
Fléche still ranks as the brood mare who has
made most money under the hammer. The
most noteworthy of her produce have been
Baroness La Fléche and John o’ Gaunt. The
following are the prices made by her yearlings
sold by auction.

Born, Guineas.
1895. La Veine, b.f., bi Morion . ; ; a
1896. Barren ; ees

1897. Strong Bow, b. or br.c., sy Moston ; dh, BROe
1898. Sagitta, b.f., by Sinead : ‘ ‘ 4/9300
1899. Barren ‘ Pasian

1900. Baroness La Fleche, br. £ i Tadas ‘ - §200

1g0r. John o’ Gaunt, b.c. ded tn ae ; ‘ . 3000

1902. Barren : i "4

1903. Barren d

1904. Dead twins by Lades ‘

1905. Not covered 1904 ° mM a

1906. Arc de Triomphe, br.c., by Gallinule f . 4700

1907. B.f., by Isinglass . d i , Hen ee
Barren in 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, and 1912; not covered

after rg1r.

It will be seen, therefore, that the late Sir

358 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE
Tatton Sykes received 17,900 guineas for the —
five yearlings out of La Fléche which he sold, —
so that the mare, despite her irregular record, —
just about paid her way. She died at arpa |
April 22, scm

~ -

- <<” . :
a SES MS IE

et
—

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX

Tue wheel of Fortune now turned again in
favour of the confederates, Lord Alington and
Sir Frederick Johnstone, for Matchbox and
Throstle were among the yearlings that came to
Kingsclere from Crichel in the autumn of 1892.
The former was a colt by St. Simon out of the
mare Matchgirl, a half-sister, by Plebeian, to
the Derby winner St. Blaise, and to Candlemas;
the latter a filly by Petrarch out of Thistle, and
so half-sister to Common and Goldfinch. Re-
garded from the breeding point of view, these
youngsters had, therefore, excellent credentials.
The principle that you should “ breed winners
as winners have been bred ”’ is sound theoretically,
but when put into practice it yields a sorry crop
of exceptions. Matchbox and Throstle, how-
ever, conformed to the rule, and in two seasons
contributed over £15,000 to Kingsclere’s winning
total.

The name of Matchbox would have figured
more conspicuously on the tablets of the Turf
than it actually does but for the fact that he was

359

360 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

foaled the same year as Ladas. I rated the son
of St. Simon a good horse, but his rival was
a better one. It was on June 5, 1893, that
I tried Matchbox for the first time, with the

appended result:

Five Furlongs
Rusina, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 1b. . ‘ . Cannon 1
Belle Winnie, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 lb. . ; a 2
Matchbox, 2 yrs., 8 st.g lb... . Moreton 3
Fragosa, 2 yrs., 8 st. 6 Ib. : ‘ 4

Won by half a length; two voted patiaal ‘atcha
and third.

_ Three days previously, at Epsom, Rusina won
a Mile Handicap, and was then bought by Sir
Frederick Johnstone for 260 guineas, A month
later Matchbox was tried again as follows:

Five Furlongs
Matchbox, 2 yrs., 9 st. . : . G. Chaloner 1
Belle Winnie, 3 yrs.,9 st.7 lb. .. . KR. Chaloner 2
Throstle, 2 yrs., 8 st. rz Ib. ‘ ; . Viney 3

Won by a neck; four lengths between second and third.

Throstle, I may say here, had taken part inia
trial a week before this, to be beaten by the
two-year-old Legal Tender (to whom she was
giving 7 lb.) and by, the three-year-olds Belle
Winnie and Rusina, both conceding her a stone,

On July 14, at Sandown Park, Matchbox
made his first appearance on the Turf in the race

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 361

for the National Breeders’ Produce Stakes. He
cut a somewhat ignominious figure, for he finished
third to Delphos and Glare, beaten six lengths
and three lengths. Delphos was a son of Necro-
mancer. He had evidently been highly tried,
because, although this was his first outing, odds
of 6 to 5 were laidon him. ‘That season he took
part in seven races and won six of them. Glare,
who beat Matchbox three lengths, was to become
the dam of Flair, Lesbia, and Vivid. The failure
of Matchbox surprised us very much, because
the previous day, at Newmarket, Throstle had
run Speed to a head for the Chesterfield Stakes.
‘True, Speed was giving her 10 Ib., but he was
already the winner of the Biennial at Ascot, and
of the July Stakes at Newmarket.

Matchbox did not run again until the autumn.
On September 30 I tried him once more, and
again he did what I asked him to do, as the
following extract from my book shows:

One Mile

Matchbox, 2 yrs., 9 st. j
Legal Tender, 2 yrs., 7 st. 2 Ib. .
Throstle, 2 yrs., 8 st. 11 lb.
Rusina, 3 yrs., 8 st. 2 lb.

pw eR

Won by half a length; three i between
second and third.

This test was arranged with a view to the Great
Breeders’ Stakes of £5000 at Kempton Park on

362 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

October 6, in which Matchbox and Throstle
were engaged. I saddled both. Matchbox
started favourite at 9 to 4 and won, beating Son
o’ Mine at level weights by a neck. Throstle
was unplaced. Three weeks later, at New-

market, Matchbox won the Criterion Stakes over

six furlongs and the Dewhurst Plate over seven.
In the circumstances I felt justified, at the
end of the season, in hoping that Matchbox

would win one or more of the classic races the

following year, even though Ladas had to be
reckoned with. This colt of Lord Rosebery’s —
was unbeaten as a two-year-old; he won the —
Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, the Coventry Stakes

at Ascot, the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, Mh

and the Middle Park Plate at Newmarket. He f

was trained by Matt Dawson, so once more he ~

and I were keen rivals.

This time Matt was to have the laugh of me _
and obtain a sort of a revenge for the defeats
of Minting. Ladas and Matchbox met for the
first time in the Two Thousand Guineas. If 1

tried our horse for that race there is no record —
of the gallop in my book. Odds of 6 to 5 were
laid on Ladas, and he beat Matchbox quite —
comfortably by a length and a half. They met
again in the Derby, and again Matchbox had to
be content with second place. In the meantime —
Ladas had won the Newmarket Stakes, and so —
confident was the belief that he had nothing to-

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 363

fear from his rival at Epsom that odds of 9 to
2 were laid on his winning the Derby. Match-
box, however, gave him a good race. The son
of St. Simon was in front a mile from home,
and was still leading when the field swept round
Tattenham Corner into the straight. Ladas then
tackled him, but it was not until they were
nearing the goal that he gained the mastery to
win by a length and a half. His victory was an
extremely popular one, because Lord Rosebery
was at the time Prime Minister. Other Premiers
—notably Lord Palmerston and Lord Derby—
had been patrons of the Turf, but this was the
only time the first Minister of the Crown had
led in the winner of the Derby, and the populace
acclaimed the unique event in an uproarious
manner.

Little did Matt Dawson, or anybody else,
imagine that Ladas was not to win another race;
yet so it turned out. He was third to Isinglass
and Bullingdon (to whom I will refer presently)
in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, second to
Isinglass in the Eclipse Stakes, second to Throstle
in the St. Leger, and fourth in his only race as a
four-year-old. We are concerned only with his
failure in the St. Leger, in which Matchbox
opposed him for the third and last time.

A day or two after his defeat in the Derby
Baron Hirsch bought Matchbox for £15,000 in
the hope of winning the Grand Prix de Paris

364 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

with him. Although the Baron’s horses were
now being trained by Dick Marsh it was arranged
that Matchbox was to remain for a time at
Kingsclere, and in due course we took him over
to France. Again he had to put up with second
place, for he was beaten a neck by Dolma-
Baghtche. Atany rate the judge saidso. Many
of the onlookers were under the impression that
Matchbox just won. Be that as it may, I feel
sure he ought to have finished first. Morny
Cannon, who rode him that day, was not seen at
his best by any means.

At Goodwood Matchbox won the Sussex
Stakes; and then came the St. Leger. By this
time the colt had again changed hands, Baron
Hirsch having sold him to the Hungarian
Government for, I believe, £15,000, the sum
he himself paid. The horse was not, however,
to be delivered until after the St. Leger. As
Throstle played so astonishing a part in the race
at Doncaster we must briefly review her career
up to this point.

A beautiful filly, Throstle’s eyes were closed
when she was born, and they remained closed

:

for several weeks. It is my firm conviction that —

she never could see properly. As a two-year-old

she ran three times, but, except in the Chester-
field Stakes, when she so nearly beat Speed, did
not show much form. She, however, did much
better as a three-year-old. After running un-

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 365

placed in the One Thousand Guineas, Throstle
won the Coronation Stakes at Ascot, finished
fourth in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, and
won the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. This last
performance appeared to give her a good chance
in the St. Leger, and I believe several people
backed her at that time to gain “ classic ”’ honours

| at Doncaster. But for one failing we ourselves

should have deemed her prospects as good as
those of Matchbox, for she was an extraordinarily
good stayer. Owing, no doubt, to her defective
eyesight she had an unfortunate habit of bolting
out of the course. She had done this both at
home and in public, and we quite expected to
see her bolt from the track when competing
in the St. Leger. That is why our hopes were
centred in Matchbox.

Having twice suffered defeat since the Derby,
Ladas no longer inspired the confidence in his
powers which caused him to start so hot a
favourite at Epsom. We were, indeed, rather
sanguine that Matchbox would at last beat him.
That public opinion tended in the same direction
is shown by the betting. Backers of Ladas had
to lay only 11 to 10, and supporters of Matchbox
could get no more than 2 to 1. Very few
speculators gave a thought to Throstle. At so
to 1 she was practically friendless. Both Lord
Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone stood,
however, to win £1000 on her, just on the off

366 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

chance. Only twice in my life have I had so
much as a £100 on a horse. At the Hampton
Court Sale, at which Baron Hirsch bought La
Fléche, a gentleman who was making a yearling
“book ” on the Derby of 1892 offered, in my
hearing, 10,000 to 100 against Orme to the Duke
of Westminster. The Duke, of course, did not
bet ; but, turning to me, he said, “‘ Perhaps Porter
will take the odds.’”’ I did, and made a good
profit on the bet, because, after Orme had shown
his form as a two-year-old, the holder of the
“book” came to me and asked if I would lay
him £5000 to £1000. I readily consented, and
thereby made a clear £900. I also had £100 on
Matchbox for the St. Leger. At the last moment
I thought it prudent to “insure’’ my bet by
backing the favourite, and laid £110 to £100 on
Ladas. Imagine, therefore, my chagrin when I
saw Throstle, after Ladas had got the better of
Matchbox, swoop down on Lord Rosebery’s
colt close home and beat him three-quarters of a
length.

In one sense this result was stupefying, but
only because the expected had not happened.
Throstle’s proclivity to bolt was in abeyance
that day. She ran as straight as a die, and her
great staying power came to her aid after Ladas
and Matchbox had run themselves out by their
endeavours to get the better of each other.
There was also another factor that may have

A sis alles ae

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX = 367

contributed to her success. She was ridden by
Morny Cannon, who was in irresistible form
during the first three days of that Doncaster
Meeting, for he had no fewer than ten winning
mounts.

The very next race in which Throstle ran—
the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket—she
bolted out of the course! In the Duke of York
Handicap at Kempton, in October, she had to
carry 8 st. 9 lb. and could only finish fourth.
The burden was too heavy, and the distance—
a mile—too short. She was then bought by the
Duke of Westminster, and went to the Eaton
Stud. Missel Thrush, by Orme, was one of
her produce. She was a real good mare, but
handicapped by defective eyes.

On leaving England, Matchbox went to the
Kisber Stud in Hungary. He turned out a
successful sire, for in fifteen seasons his sons
and daughters won 557 races worth £157,575.
The best of his get were Con Amore (winner
of the Austrian Derby in 1904), Falb, Horkay,
Lord Firebrand, and Nunquam Dormio. Several
of his daughters have proved successful brood
mares.

The promised allusion to Bullingdon need
only be a brief one. So few mares have won
the Derby that it necessarily follows a com-
paratively small number of horses have had
Derby winners for sire and dam. Bullingdon

368 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

was one of them, for he was by Melton out of —
Shotover. The Duke of Westminster bred him.
Courage was a conspicuous trait in his character. —
He was one of the most lion-hearted horses I —
ever had in my stable. The first time out he
ran Ladas to a length and a half in the Coventry —
Stakes at Ascot. At Goodwood, after winning —
a good trial at Kingsclere (giving 21 lb. anda
length beating to Legal Tender), he captured the —
Ham Stakes, beating St. Florian, the sire of Ard —
_ Patrick, half a length; and also the Prince of —
Wales’s Stakes, in which he gave Glare 6 lb. and
defeated her a neck, Speed being unplaced. In —
October at Newmarket, Glare, however, managed
to turn the tables in the contest for the Bucken-
ham Stakes.

The following year Bullingdon sccoh pated
Matchbox to the post for the Derby. A week —
before the race I tried him over a aes and a
half to give the three-year-old Grey Leg—the
winner that spring of the City and Suburban—
a six-lengths’ beating at level weights. He ran
well for about six furlongs at Epsom. His best
race was however that for the £ 10,000 Princess .
of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket, in which, —
receiving 18 lb. fora year, he ran Isinglass to
a head. A fortnight later he won the Midsumaienill :
Plate. At Liverpool in the autumn he broke —
his leg by kicking against the wall of ‘his bom
and we had to destroy him.

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The best of the two-year-olds at Kingsclere
in 1894 were Tarporley and Kissing Cup, both
belonging to the Duke of Westminster. By St.
Simon out of Ruth, by Scottish Chief, Tarporley
gave promise of developing into a high-class
horse, but unfortunately, in the late autumn,
injured one of his legs and had to be turned .

_ out of training. Just before Ascot I tried him
| to beat four other two-year-olds and the four-
| year-old Joyful. He finished a neck in front of

| Kissing Cup, giving her 3 lb. Tarporley was a
|. biggish horse and had somewhat outgrown his
| strength as a yearling. At Ascot, after running
| unplaced for the Coventry Stakes the first day,
| he won the Windsor Castle Stakes the fourth
| day. We were quite prepared for this, because
| in the meantime Kissing Cup had carried off the
| New Stakes, so we felt justified in assuming that
| Tarporley had not run up to his trial form in the
Coventry. At Goodwood, Tarporley secured
| the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, but was beaten in
the Middle Park Plate and in a race at the Liver-
| pool Autumn Meeting. Then he met with the
accident which brought his racing career to a
| ‘premature conclusion. He went to the stud at
_ Theakston Hall, near Bedale, in North Yorkshire,
and did fairly well as a sire. Some of his
daughters have been successful brood mares.
He was eventually leased to go to France.
Kissing Cup started only twice as a two-year-
28

370 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

old. As already stated, she won the New Stakes
at Ascot, but was beaten out of a place in the
National Produce Stakes at Sandown Park. The
best she could do the following season was to run
second in the Yorkshire Oaks. She was by
Hampton out of Sterling Love. Mr. J. Simons
Harrison bred her, and I bought her as a yearling
at Doncaster for the Duke, paying 2400 guineas.
It must be said that she did not quite realise
_ expectations, though she bred useful animals in
Goblet, Racing Cup, and Cupbearer.

Another two-year-old that carried the Duke
of Westminster’s colours in 1894 was Star Ruby,

by Hampton out of Ornament, and therefore —

half-brother to Sceptre and Collar. He was a
long way behind Tarporley and Kissing Cup in
the pre-Ascot trial, and ran unplaced in a race

at Stockbridge. When tried again just before —
Goodwood, Tarporley failed by a length to give —

him 14 lb. We thought, therefore, he had a

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chance of winning the Rous Memorial Stakes at ¥
Goodwood, but he made a poor show. Directly —
afterwards Mr. J. B. Haggin, the American —

breeder, made the Duke an offer for Star Ruby, —

which was accepted, and the colt went forthwith
to the United States. There, as a three-year-old, —

he won ten races, and two more in 1896. Atthe ©
stud Star Ruby was a success. Among his
offspring were Africander and Rubio, the latter

a winner of the Grand National. My recollection

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 371

is that the Duke received only 1000 guineas for
him.

Matchmaker, a half-brother, by Donovan,
to Matchbox, was another of the juveniles at
Kingsclere in 1894. In the second of his two
outings that year he was beaten a neck for the
Ham Stakes at Goodwood. As a three-year-old
we tried him over a mile to be four lengths
behind Le Var; still, he was good enough to win
_ the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and “ Derby ”’ at
| Ascot. Matchmaker was just a useful horse—
not in the same class as Matchbox. Le Var,

too, was only moderate. He managed to win,
\as a three-year-old, the £10,000 Princess of
| Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket—then a mile race
—but was favoured with a big allowance. Sir
| Visto, the Derby winner, whom he beat, was
| giving him a lot of weight.
| Son of a Gun, a four-year-old by Petrarch,
_ was also a contributor to the Kingsclere total of
_ £22,000 odd in 1894. He belonged to Mr.
_ Francis Alexander, who had recently joined the
stable, and won both the Summer and Autumn
Cups at Liverpool, beating Bushey Park in the
_ one and Avington in the other.

We had a nice lot of two-year-olds in 1895,
and thirteen of them won races. In the list
were the Duke of Westminster’s Omladina, Lab-
rador, Rampion, Helm, Hartford, Regret, and
_ Attainment ; Mr. Low’s colt by Galopin out

372 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of Hall Mark, afterwards named Zebac ; and the _
filly Meli Melo, whom Sir Frederick Johnstonéil ;
and I owned jointly. ry

In October 1893 Lady Stamford sold several
of her brood mares and foals. The late Count ©
Lehndorff gave 1550 guineas for Geheimniss, —
covered by Saraband, and the Duke of West- —
minster bought the mare’s filly foal by Royal —
Hampton for 700 guineas. This was Omladina. —
She was a flyer as a two-year-old. Her first race ;
was the Lavant Stakes at Goodwood. The week
before the meeting I tried her as follows:

Five Furlongs
Rampion, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 lb. I
Helm, 2 yrs., 9 st. 2
Omladina, 2 yrs., 9 st. ; ‘ - 3
Joyful, 5 yrs. 10st. a
Won by half a length; a elk Cee second .
and third; a length between third and fourth.

That we were well satisfied by this performance —
is proved by the fact that Omladina started —
favourite for her race at Goodwood. She and —
Lord Crewe’s filly, Flitters, ran a dead-heat fe
first place, and the stakes were divided. 1c
following afternoon Rampion won the Molecomb |
Stakes. : q HW
This outing opened Omladina’s eyes to the |
serious business of racing. At Doncaster she —
readily won the Champagne Stakes, and at the -

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THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 373

Newmarket First October Meeting the Hopeful
Stakes. Her next race was the Middle Park
Plate, with a view to which the following trial
took place:

_ Six Furlongs

Omladina, 2 yrs., 8 st. 8 Ib. ! . H. Chaloner 1
Regret, 2 yrs., 8 st. ro lb. . " ‘ . Wilson 2
Grey Leg, 4 yrs., 10 st. r Ib... . . Chaloner 3
Helm, 2 yrs., 8 st.7 1b. . , . . Sutcliffe 4
Rampion, 2 yrs., 8 st. 9 lb. ; ; . Moreton 5
Shaddock, 2 yrs., 8st. 12 1b... ; . Cannon 6

Won by half a length; three lengths second and third ;
neck third and fourth.

The Middle Park Plate that year was won by
St. Frusquin; Omladina, beaten half a length,
finished second; Persimmon, four lengths away,
was placed third. Omladina was merely re-
ceiving the 3 Ib. sex allowance from the two
colts, so that her performance looked an un-
commonly good one. The following week she
rounded off her juvenile record by winning a
£1000 race at Sandown Park—the Great Sapling
Plate. |

| Early the following year I discovered two
things about Omladina: she had not made
normal progress through the winter, and she
lacked stamina. When tried over a mile before
the One Thousand Guineas, she cut a poor
figure, as the appended record shows:

374. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

One Mile

Attamment, 3 yrs., 8 st.
Royal Corrie, 4 yrs., 8 st
Labrador, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 lb.
Shaddock, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib.
Helm, 3 yrs., 8 st. 4 Ib.
Omladina, 3 yrs., 9 st.
Regret, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 lb.

Won by four lengths; two lengths itd and
third; one length third and fourth; one length
fourth and fifth; three-quarters of a length fifth
and sixth.

awn - WwW N we

“

After this we abandoned all hope of seeing her i

win the One Thousand, for which, nevertheless,

she started favourite, the public relying, of course, _
on her two-year-old form. She was unplaced. —
That she had not entirely lost her speed she

demonstrated by winning the Fern Hill Stakes

over five furlongs at Ascot. At Goodwood she a

was again beaten over a mile, and the Duke,

deciding that he had had her long enough, sent ~
her to the Newmarket December Sales. There —
she was bought for 2300 guineas by Sir Blundell _
Maple under Lord Exeter’s conditions. For
her new owner she ran several times as a four-
year-old, but without winning. At the stud she —
was a disappointment, and in 1904 was sold to |
go to Germany. R

Labrador was a good little colt by Sheen outll
of Ornament. As his breeding indicates, he
came from the Eaton Stud. In his first season

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX § 375

on the Turf he won the July Stakes at Newmarket
and the Ham Stakes at Goodwood; in each of
the other three races in which he ran that year
he finished second—to Nenemoosha at Ascot, to
St. Frusquin at Sandown, and to Santa Maura
at Goodwood. The following year he showed
consistent form and proved himself quite a good
stayer. A week after he had finished third in
the trial in which Omladina cut up so badly he
ran third to St. Frusquin and Love Wisely in
the Two Thousand Guineas. At Ascot he won
a Triennial, and then, after three other successes,
and a failure in the Eclipse Stakes, was a good
second to Persimmon in the St. Leger. Indeed,
he that day gave the backers of the Prince’s horse
rather a fright. Persimmon, however, cannot
have been himself at Doncaster. Labrador ran
and won three times more that season, his last
outing being in the Champion Stakes, in which
he defeated Marco, Sir Visto, and Whittier.
When four years of age he won a Triennial at
Ascot, was third for the Liverpool Summer and
Autumn Cups, and second for the Goodwood
Cup to Count Schomberg. Kept in training for
another season, he failed to maintain his reputation.
Inasmuch, however, as the ten races he won were
worth £9315, he paid his way well, and was not
the least successful of the offspring of Ornament.

Regret, a colt by Sheen out of Farewell, was
another product of the Eaton Stud. Like his dam,

376 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

he was not as honest as he might have been;
indeed, he eventually became a _ pronounced
rogue. He could have done much more on the
Turf than the records show he accomplished.
He was one of those horses who display their

best form on the training ground, and more than _

once he gave us a shock by his public exhibitions.
It was not until the late autumn of 1895 that he
ran his only race as a two-year-old, and then won
the Houghton Stakes, beating Symington. Odds
of 15 to 2 were laid on him. This was due to his
having, in a trial three weeks previously, given
Omladina 2 Ib. and run her to half a length.
Regret’s first outing the following year was in the
Princess of Wales’s Stakes. He finished a good
third to St. Frusquin and Persimmon. The
Winner was giving him g lb. and Persimmon
12 lb. Regret started favourite, for he had en-
couraged us to believe he could win this £10,000
prize by giving 14 lb. to the four-year-old Royal
Corrie in a trial and running him to half a length.
In the Eclipse Stakes Regret, receiving 10 Ib.,
was second to St. Frusquin, beaten a length and
a half, and later in the year he finished fourth
to Persimmon, Sir Visto, and Laveno in the
Jockey Club Stakes. He won three races that
season. We kept him in training for another
two years, but he was never again first past the
post. In one way and another he was a very
exasperating beast.

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 377

Another of our two-year-olds in 1895 was the
colt Piety, by Satiety. Carrying Sir Frederick
Johnstone’s colours, he won the Great Kingston
Two-Year-Old race at Sandown Park. He was
afterwards sold to Mr. J. S. Morrison, who
transferred him to Mr. G. C. Dobell. The latter,
who was a good friend of mine, raced in partner-
ship with Mr. G. M. Inglis. They won the
Manchester Cup with Piety in 1897. Mr.
Dobell was a man prominent in the commercial
lifeof Liverpool. John Corlett and I often stayed
with him for the Liverpool and Chester meetings.
Mr. Dobell had a great regard for the late James
Waugh, and generally had one or two horses in
training with him. -Piety was one of them.

I have mentioned that Zebac, then known as
the Hall Mark colt, was one of our two-year-old
winners in 1895. His owner, Mr. Willie Low,
also had St. Bris, by St. Simon, in training at Kings-
clere that season, but we did not race him until the
following year, and then not until Goodwood, where
he won the Gratwicke Stakes over a mile and a
half from Burgonet, his only opponent. Three
days previously the following trial took place:

One Mile
Rampion, 3 yrs., 9 st.
Zebac, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 lb. .
St. Bris, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 lb.
Omladina, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 lb.
Won by half a length; a neck between secon
and third; a length between third and fourth.

Akh wD

378 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE ~

Zebac had won a Biennial, and Omladina the :
Fern Hill Stakes at Ascot. At Goodwood, 4
Rampion was second to Phoebus Apollo for
the Chesterfield Cup, and Omladina was unplaced
for the Nassau Stakes. 4
St. Bris’s second race was the Brighton Cup. —
In this he was called upon to give a lot of weight
to his opponents and made no show. Then
came the Cesarewitch, for which he was handi- —
capped at 6 st. 6 lb. As we knew he wasa
good stayer it appeared to us that he had a great
chance. Starting at 10 to 1, and ridden by
Kempton Cannon (Morny’s younger brother,
who afterwards became one of our leading
jockeys and won the Derby on St. Amant), St.
Bris won the Cesarewitch in a canter by four
lengths. This was the only time I saddled the ©
winner of that long-distance handicap. In 1897
St. Bris won the Alexandra Plate at Ascot, and
ran fourth in the Cesarewitch, carrying 8 st. 2 lb.
He was a good, honest stayer, and just a useful —
handicapper. Sold to go to France, he there {
became a very successful sire. |
The Duke of Westminster’s Shaddock, i
a)

St. Serf, was also one of the two-year-olds of
1895. He ran only once that year, and then
finished second in the New Stakes to Roque-
brune, the dam of Rock Sand. The following — :
year he did useful service by winning six races _
off the reel. He was a pretty good horse. Then

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 379

there was the Duke’s Conroy, by Bend Or. His
only race as a juvenile in 1895 was the Criterion

_ at Newmarket, in which he ran Prince Soltykoft’s

Aureus toa neck. The first time out the follow-
ing year he was successful in the Ascot Derby,
beating Positano and Bay Ronald. Positano, I
may mention, shortly afterwards went to Aus-
tralia, where he became a famous sire. One of
his offspring was the brilliant Poseidon. Bay
Ronald, of course, became the sire of Bayardo
and Dark Ronald.

None of the two-year-olds in my care in 1896
was of outstanding merit; still, half-a-dozen of
them managed to win races that season, among
them being Mr. Low’s Kilkerran and Lord
Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone’s Vesu-
vian, Zarabanda, and Butter. The last-named
won three good races as a three-year-old, but
was always half asleep, and his legs gave us a lot
of trouble.

Passing on to 1897, we come to the then
two-year-olds, Batt, Collar, Calveley, Ameer,
Lowood, and Orpah, owned by the Duke of
Westminster; Hawfinch, Celada, Everleigh, and
St. Jessica, who belonged tome ; Mr. Alexander’s
Mandorla; and Mr. Low’s Winsome Charteris,
Hall Mark filly, and Hermiston. Collar and
Calveley ran only once each as juveniles; the
former was unplaced in the Middle Park Plate,
and Calveley was beaten a head in the Rous

380 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Memorial at Newmarket. Both won races as
three-year-olds.

Collar, a colt by St. Simon out of Ornament,
won his first two races as a three-year-old—the
Trial and Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot; then,
after two unsuccessful outings, he was sold to
go to South Africa, where he won several times
before going to the stud. After Sceptre, who
was three-parts sister to him, had revealed her
brilliance, Collar was brought back to England
by Mr. William Allison, and for the remainder
of his life was located at the Cobham Stud. He
got a host of winners, some of them quite useful.

By St. Serf out of Sandiway, Calveley won four
small races as a three-year-old, but did not attain
his best form until the following season, when he
won the Esher Stakes, the Chesterfield Cup at
Goodwood (in which his stable companion Her-
miston was second), and the Great Yorkshire
Handicap and Cup at Doncaster. In his only
other outing, a £1000 Handicap at Kempton,
he was placed second. The Duke then sold
him to the late Sir John Thursby, who, after
failing to get a race out of him—Calveley event-
ually broke down—parted with him to the
Germans, for whom he did well as a sire.

Batt was a brown colt by Sheen out of Vampire,
and therefore a half-brother to Flying Fox, about __
whom I shall have a good deal to say in the next

chapter. ‘The first of his races as a two-year-old

4
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THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 381

was the Coventry Stakes at Ascot. He was
unplaced. We did not run him again until the
autumn. On September 25 he took part in a
trial, the record of which reads:

Six Furlongs

Lowood, 2 yrs.,7 st. rolb. .. . K. Cannon 1
Batt, 2 yrs. 9 st. . hs ; . M. Cannon 2
Calveley, 2 yrs., 9 st. — 3
Collar, 2 yrs., 9 st. . . ; ; — 4.
Ameer, 2 yrs., 9 st. . — 5
Shapfell, 2 yrs., g st. — 6

Won by two lengths; half a length between second
and third ; half a length between third and fourth ; four
_ lengths between fourth and fifth.

Lowood, by St. Serf out of Rydal, had, when
racing for the first time, run second to Mauchline
in the Gimcrack Stakes at York, and five days
later finished fourth to Disraeli (winner of the
Two Thousand Guineas the following year) in
the Champion Breeders’ Stakes at Derby. At
the Houghton Meeting, at the end of October,
Batt, an even-money favourite, won the Criterion
Stakes, beating Sir Blundell Maple’s Royal Foot-
step, who was giving him 8 lb., by a neck. Airs
and Graces, destined to win the Oaks, was behind
them. Three days later Batt won the Houghton
Stakes. We regarded him merely as a useful
sort of colt—nothing very grand.

Batt’s first engagement the following year was

382 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

in the Two Thousand Guineas, and on the Satur-
day before the race I tried him as follows:

One Mile
Calveley, 3 yrs., 8 st. I
Batt, 3 yrs., 9 st. > 2
Lowood, 3 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. 3
Collar, 3 yrs., 9 st. 4

Won by three-quarters of a nas same
between second and third; two lengths between
third and fourth.

The previous week Calveley had run third,
beaten four lengths, to Jeddah in the Craven
Stakes at Newmarket. We had little cause to
hope Batt would win the Guineas, yet he started

second favourite to Ninus. He was unplaced —

behind Disraeli, Wantage, and Ninus. So was

Jeddah. A fortnight later Batt won the Payne
Stakes over the Rowley Mile, but he had nothing

much to beat.

Then came the Derby won by Jeddah, a 100 © i

to 1 chance. This result astounded the public,

and we were no less surprised when we saw Batt
finish second to the outsider, beaten three-

quarters of a length only. Curiously enough,

Jeddah and Batt were foaled at Eaton in adjoin-
ing boxes almost at the same moment, and it |
may interest some to know that the Derby |
winners Sainfoin and Flying Fox were born in
the same box as Jeddah. Shortly after Jeddah © f

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THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 383

and Batt were born, the Duke of Westminster
went to have a look at them. After he had
inspected Jeddah he said to his stud-groom:
“You will never rear that foal, Chapman.”

_ Three years later, when the colt had won the

Derby, the Duke jocularly said to Chapman:
“It would have been as well if you had let
Jeddah ‘go.’ You struggled night and day to
rear him, and he has rewarded you by beating
our horse in the Derby !”

| Jeddah was in the same stable as Dieudonné,
| both being trained by Dick Marsh. When a

__ two-year-old, Dieudonné won the Imperial Stakes

at Kempton, beating Cyllene, who was giving
10 lb., by three-quarters of a length. A few
days later he won the Middle Park Plate, beating
Disraeli three lengths, with Wildfowler third, a
head away. It was scarcely surprising, therefore,
that Jeddah, especially after his failure in the Two
Thousand, was supposed to have no chance of
beating Dieudonné in the Derby. The fact of
the matter was Jeddah could stay much the better
of the pair. That his success at Epsom was no
fluke was pretty well proved when, at Ascot, in
the race for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes over a
mile and five furlongs, he gave Batt 6 Ib. and a
five-lengths’ beating, and again when he finished
second to Wildfowler in the St. Leger.

Later that year Batt was second to Velasquez
in the Eclipse Stakes, third to Dieudonné and

384 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE
Cap Martin in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood,

and “ placed” in two other races. He also won ~
the Doncaster Stakes and the Great Foal Stakes —
at Newmarket. Although by no means a top-
sawyer, he did not, therefore, do by any means ~
badly. In 1899 he was second for the Craven —
Stakes at Newmarket, and then second to Uncle ©
Mac, beaten half a length, in the Chester Cup. ~
After running unplaced for the Ascot Stakes he ©
was sold to go to South America, where he did ~
- fairly well at the stud. ;

Hawfinch, a son of Goldfinch, was bred by ©
Mr. J. Terry, of Emsworth, Sussex, from whom
I leased him. He was an incorrigibly lazy colt —
—almost too idle to go to sleep. When he was —
passing the stands at Newmarket on his way to —
the Dewhurst Plate starting-post, his sluggish —
gait excited the jeers of the crowd. Some one —
shouted to Sam Loates, who was on his back: —
** Shall we come and give hima push?”’ When
actually racing, however, Hawfinch was another —
animal altogether. This was his only outing as ©
a two-year-old. He won by a neck from —
Ninus, with Dieudonné third. Both were giving
him weight. Directly afterwards he was sold

to Mr. Horatio Bottomley for, I think, £3000. —

The following year, as I was driving up to the —
course at Goodwood with a poor specimen of a
horse in the shafts, Mr. Bottomley passed me in
a carriage drawn by a pair of beautiful horses.

THROSTLE AND MATCHBOX 385

When I reached the course Mr. Bottomley
happened to be the first man I saw. I said to
him: ‘‘ Those were fine horses you were sitting
behind just now. Mine was the slowest I have
ever seen.”’ “ Nay,’ he replied, “you sold
me the slowest.” He referred to Hawfinch.
All the same, he won three races with the
son of Goldfinch, including the London Cup
at Alexandra Park.

2C

FLYING FOX

Ir would be, I think, in 1893 that the Duke of t
_ Westminster asked me to buy for him a brood i
mare. Shortly afterwards I noticed that Vam-
pire, a four-year-old by Galopin out of Irony, by
Rosebery, was entered in a sale at Newmarket.
As a two-year-old she had won the Priory Stakes _
of £500 at Lewes, and a £200 race at Newmarket _
in eight starts. I went tosee her,andshe seemed
to satisfy the Duke’s requirements. Hearing,
however, that a high reserve had been placed on _
her I did not trouble to attend the sale. The
same afternoon I came across Lord Hindlip (as
he afterwards became) and he said to me: “I
thought you were going to buy Vampire this —
morning.” “ Yes,” I replied, “I did intend to —
bid until I heard that the reserve of 1000 guineas _
originally fixed had been raised to 1500 guineas.” i
“Well,” said he, ‘‘ she wasn’t sold, and if you —

than a thousand, and the negotiations were
quickly concluded. .")
386 4

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FLYING FOX rit Beg

When the mare reached Eaton it was dis-
covered that she had a very spiteful disposition.
One day she mauled one of the stud employees,
and the Duke thereupon came to the conclusion
that he would rather be rid of her. He mentioned
the matter to me, and I told him that if he was
determined to part with the mare I would take
her myself. His Grace thereupon changed his
mind, and Vampire remained at Eaton. Her
first foal was a colt by Gonsalvo (Son of Fernan-
dez), and in a fit of temper she killed it. Then
came Batt, by Sheen; and in 1896, Flying Fox
by Orme.

Vampire had been mated with Orme, who
returned to her the Galopin blood with only one
free generation, because, owing to her excitable
state when she had a foal at foot, it was deemed
inadvisable to send her away to a stallion that
might have appeared more suitable so far as
blood lines were concerned. Otherwise the
Duke would certainly not have risked the ap-
parently dangerous inbreeding to “ hot ’’ Galopin
blood. The risky experiment produced, how-
ever, a wonderful result.

I saw Flying Fox for the first time at Eaton
whilst he was a yearling, and told the Duke that
he struck me as a colt with a ‘ Derby look”’
about him. The colt had not been very long
at Kingsclere before he began to show great
promise. Even at that early stage of his career

388 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

he was, however, inclined to be somewhat
mulish, and I have always thought it was just
as well he left the Turf at the end of his three-
year-old days, for had he remained in training a
third season he would, I am convinced, have
caused us a lot of trouble. He had undoubtedly
inherited some of his dam’s wilful temperament.
As a set off against this the sire and dam had
transferred to the colt their strong constitutions,
for Flying Fox was one of the toughest horses
I ever had under my care.

The first race in which Flying Fox ran was
the New Stakes at Ascot. The previous week
we tried him, with the following result:

Six Furlongs

Flying Fox, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. . I
Ameer, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. ; ee
Frontier, 2 yrs. 8 st.7 lb... . . May
Sark, 2 yrs., 8 st. 7 Ib. 4

Won by three lengths; six Seadle ean ie
and third; one length between third and fourth.

These four horses were all sired by Orme. Six
weeks earlier Ameer had won the Tudor Plate

at Sandown Park, and the “test” satisfied us

that Flying Fox was extremely good. The secret

leaked out, and the colt started favourite for the —

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New Stakes at § to 4. He won, beating Musa, ~

who finished second, by three-quarters of a

length. The following year Musa won the Oaks.

FLYING FOX 389

Flying Fox’s next outing was at Stockbridge
in July. There he won the Foal Stakes quite
readily from No Trumps, who was his only
opponent. He did not see a racecourse again
until the first week of October, when he competed
at Kempton Park for the valuable Imperial
Produce Stakes, a six-furlong race. On this
occasion also he was favourite at 5 to 4. He

had nine opponents, but the only one believed

to have a chance of beating him was Mr. Leo-
pold de Rothschild’s colt, St. Gris, who was
receiving 5 lb. from Flying Fox. St. Gris had
won the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood, and
run the Prince of Wales’s Eventail to a head in
the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the same meeting.
On the strength of this performance St. Gris
had many backers at Kempton, and started a
3 to 1 chance. He beat Flying Fox by a head.
I thought at the time, think now, and always
shall think, that Flying Fox ought to have won
that race. At the same time I was never quite
satisfied with him that season. I felt that he
was a better colt than he was showing himself.

A week after the Kempton race Flying Fox
was beaten a length and a half by Caiman in the
Middle Park Plate. The race was, as usual,
run on the Friday. On the Tuesday Caiman
had won the Clearwell Stakes, Eventail (who
had beaten St. Gris at Goodwood) being un-
placed. So Caiman, an American-bred colt,

390 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

owned by Lord William Beresford, started an _
equal favourite with Flying Fox for the Middle
Park Plate. It was a funny sort of race, and ~

when it was over I was by no means convinced _

that the best horse had won. Caiman, by the
way, was receiving 3 lb. from Flying Fox. :

Tod Sloan, who rode Caiman that day, refers

to this race in his reminiscences. He writes:

I shall always remember the Middle Park Plate which €

I won on Caiman, with Flying Fox second. I should a

say that Caiman was one of the poorest class horses who

ever won the race, and it really was a shame that a horse
like Flying Fox, a superior animal in every way, should
have been done out of what he so much deserved. I
repeat, Caiman was one of the most overrated horses 1
ever knew. ‘The truth was I understood him, and had
him under such perfect control that it was possible todo

more with him than with perhaps any horse of similar *,
Stamp. ... NY

In the race the other jockeys let me make my own ; i
pace, “ Morny ” (Cannon) holding off on his crack until

the place at which he generally began his run. We went — |

slower and slower, till we got almost to a walk just before
striking the rise out of the Dip. I was watching him
and saw him preparing to come along. So I shot mine
out before he got moving, and stole the race, Flying Fox,
although going great guns, not having quite time enough __
to get up. I hope it does not seem that I am claiming

for myself too much judgment at the expense of others, %

but without any brag or bounce I must say that there —

was such a hopeless ignorance of pace among the majority i }
of those riding in the race that I suppose I managed to _

FLYING FOX 391

kid them, and so got where I did. I always consider

_ that, however much of a “ general” I may have been in

some races in my career, I can shake hands with myself
on that Middle Park Plate being the greatest achievement
of my life.

After the race Lord William Beresford, Charlie Mills,
and others came round, saying what a marvellous horse
Caiman was. But they wouldn’t give me any credit for
the win; they kept on repeating that Caiman was the
greatest of his age in training. And they stuck to it too,
even though I told them he was far behind horses which
were unquestionably inferior to Flying Fox.

Sloan goes on to state that he was convinced
Flying Fox was the best horse he had seen
in England. No one will accuse the famous
American jockey of ever having been guilty of
hiding his light under a bushel ; still, there is
perhaps a good deal of truth in his explanation of
the way in which Flying Fox came to be beaten
in the Middle Park Plate. I am not adopting
his story as “ gospel’’; I merely quote it as an
interesting expression of opinion. |
A fortnight later Flying Fox won the
Criterion Stakes, giving Sinopi (a gelding by
Marcion, who had won the Findon Stakes at
Goodwood) 12 lb. and a length-and-a-half
beating. This achievement brought Flying Fox’s
two-year-old career to a close. That season
he had taken part in 5 races, and won three
worth £2681. It was not a bad record, but
one which ought to have been improved upon.

392 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

During the ensuing winter all went well
with Flying Fox, and when, on April 15,
eleven days before the Two Thousand Guineas,

we tried him over a mile, we confidently expected —

him to come out of the ordeal triumphantly.
He did not disappoint us, for the result of the
gallop was as follows :

One Mile
Flying Fox, 3 yrs., 9 st. 4 lb. : . M. Cannon 1
Frontier, 3 yrs., 8 st. 9g Ib. . : f Moreton 2
Batt, 4 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. . . : i . Pratt 3
Clean Gone, 3 yrs., 7 st. 11 Ib... ‘ Gannon 4
Princess Mary, 3 yrs., 8 st.o lb. . : . Rouwees @
Calveley, 4 yrs., 8 st.g lb... ‘ ‘ .Dibbin6

Won easily by half a length; two lengths between
second and third; three lengths between fourth and fifth ;
one length between fifth and sixth.

On April 11, at Newmarket, Batt had —

finished second, beaten a neck in the Craven — :
Trial Plate, at Newmarket, and Clean Gone had

run third in the Biennial. All doubt concerning

the value of the trial tackle seemed to be dissipated _

when, on April 21, Calveley easily won the
Esher Stakes at Sandown Park. On the 26th
Flying Fox, with odds of 6 to § laid on him, won
the Two Thousand Guineas. Without any
difficulty he beat his old opponent Caiman two
lengths. The latter was second favourite at

5 to 1. Mr. Leopold de Rothschild’s Trident, —

winner of the Newmarket Biennial, was third,
three lengths behind the second.

Ne Ne

FLYING FOX 393

The Derby was Flying Fox’s next race. He
was not specially tried for this, for we knew him
to be fit and well. The betting was: 5 to 2
on Flying Fox, 6 to 1 against Holocauste, 15
to 1 bar two. Holocauste was a grey colt by
Le Sancy, and owned by M. J. de Bremond.
On April 16 he won a Biennial at Longchamps,
on May 4 the Prix de la Rochette over eleven
furlongs, and on May 14 the Prix Lupin
over ten furlongs. In the French Derby, on
May 28 (the Sunday before Epsom), he ran
third to Perth and Velasquez, finishing two
lengths behind the winner. At Epsom Holo-
causte broke a leg coming round Tattenham
Corner, and had to be destroyed.

Flying Fox won the Derby by two lengths,
Damocles finishing second. The latter had
that spring won the Nork Park Plate at Epsom
and the Tudor Plate at Sandown Park. If there
was a semblance of a race between the two
towards the finish it was certainly not because
Flying Fox’s superiority was measured by the
two lengths which separated them when they
passed the judge. In making this statement
I do not wish to appear to hold an’ exalted idea
of the merits of Flying Fox. I have always
thought he was a good horse ; but when, after
all these years, one dispassionately scrutinises
the character of the horses he was called
upon to beat, it may well be he was not so

394 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

wonderful as we were at the time inclined to —
think.

Sloan rode Holocauste in the Derby; he —
was given the mount only the night before the ©
race. Here is his description of the contest
up to the moment when the French horse met —
with his accident : |

At last, at the sixth attempt, we were off. We went —
up the hill to the top and raced down to Tattenham
Corner. I wasa neck in front of Flying Fox, and to my —
delight saw that Morny had got his whip out on the
favourite. Before that I hadn’t really the remotest idea —
of actually beating him, and anyhow I should have had-
no pretensions to do so if it hadn’t been for those false —
starts.

I got hens on the rails, and I was going as easily | '
as possible, whereas Flying Fox got the stick again. We
crossed the tan road and had only about a furlong anda
half to go 1 with Flying Fox well beaten by this time, and
Holocauste not having been called on for any effort at all. Bf
Suddenly something happened; I thought I had been —
cut into. There was a shock, and it was as much as I ©
could do to keep in my saddle. ‘The poor beggar rolled —
from side to side, but he didn’t come down as many have —
asserted he did. He was a horrible sight with his leg —
broken off short; in fact, the stump was sticking in the ©
ground. . »
I was never more certain that I had another hoa +
positively beaten than I was that day about Flying Fox. —
There wouldn’t have been a close finish even, for I was —

1 From the tan road to the winning-post is about four furlongs.

| FLYING FOX 395

_ going so easily; there was any amount left in M. de
_ Bremond’s horse.

_ Sloan is, of course, entitled to his opinion ;
| what would have happened if Holocauste had
: "not come to grief is, after all, a matter of con-
“jecture. The following is the record of that
year’ s Derby in the Racing Calendar :

; The one hundred and twentieth renewal of the Derby Stakes —
_ of 6000 sovs, by subscription of 50 sovs. each, h.ft., or 5 sovs. if
4 eclared, with 600 sovs. added, for three-year-olds; colts 9 st.,
and fillies 8 st. 9 lb.; the nominator of the winner received
_ 500 sovs., the owner of the second 300 sovs., and the owner of
_the third 200 sovs. out of the Stakes. About 14 miles. (264
subscriptions, 75 of whom paid 5 sovs. each—{5450.)

uke of Westminster’s b.c. Flying Fox, by Orme MM. Cannon 1
Mr. W.R. Marshall’s ch.c. Damocles . +. S. Loates 2
_Mr. J. A. Miller’s br.c. Innocence. : ; Halsey 3
tr. H. Barnato’s ch.c. My Boy . . . = J. Watts 4
ord Dunraven’s bl.c. Desmond . : : F, Pratt —

. J. de Bremond’s gr.c. Holocauste . . Sloan —

r. T. L. Plunkett’s b.c. Oppressor . T. Loates —
Mr. R. A. Oswald’s b.c. Scintillant é . O.Madden —
Be H. Pack’s b.g. Jo Iso I (late Ballyleck) . W. Bradford —
t. Fairie’s b.c. Matoppo . : ; j Rickaby —
Mr. E. J. Rose’s br.c. Sir Reginald i ‘ Allsopp —
Mr. Elliot Galer’s br.c. Beautiwick : : Palmer —

4
ce

Betting: 5 to 2 on Flying Fox, 6 to 1 against Holocauste,
15 to 1 Damocles, 20 to 1 Oppressor, 33 to 1 each Desmond and
| My Boy, 50 to 1 Innocence, 66 to 1 Scintillant, roo to 1 Sir
| Reginald, and 200 to 1 each Jo I so I, Matoppo, and Beautiwick.
_ Won by two lengths, a length between second and third, and
_ three-quarters of a length between third and fourth. Holo-
causte broke his leg and was destroyed.

396 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Flying Fox was the last of the seven .
horses I saddled to win the Derby. My ~
“record” for the greatest of races is: seven ©
wins, eight seconds, two thirds, and seven ©
unplaced.

In the Princess of Wales’s Stakes of £10,000 ©
at the Newmarket First July Meeting we ran ©
Flying Fox and also Lord Alington’s Royal ~
Emblem. ‘The latter was a three-year-old colt ~
by Royal Hampton out of Thistle, and therefore —
half-brother to Common. This was his first
race, and we had no reason for thinking highly ©
of his chance. On May 15 he was tried ~
over a mile and finished third, at level weights, i
to the four-year-old Calveley and the three-year- —
old Frontier, beaten a length and half a length. «
_ Flying Fox in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes gave i
Royal Emblem, who finished second, 17 lb. and e
beat him three lengths. The four-year-old Ninus, ' i
giving Flying Fox 6 lb., came in third, two —
lengths away.

At Sandown Park, on July 14, Flying Fou
won the Eclipse Stakes, the Duke’s Frontier,
receiving 3 lb., finishing second, beaten a length. —
The Duke gave the stakes won by Flying Fox,
on this occasion amounting to £92 285, to the
Royal Alexandra Hospital at Rhyl, North Wales.
A presentment of a fox, which seryes as a weather-
vane on the roof of the institution, commemorates
the gift, which was promised to a deputation of

FLYING FOX 397

governors, who waited on the Duke, in the event
of Flying Fox winning the race.

Caiman once again opposed Flying Fox in
the St. Leger at Doncaster, and this time he
was beaten three lengths by the son of Orme,
Scintillant (who that year won the Cesarewitch)
being third. Odds of 7 to 2 were laid on the
son of Orme, who, three weeks later, won the
Jockey Club Stakes, giving Scintillant 11 Ib.
and a four-lengths’ beating, so that he won all
three £10,000 races. At Doncaster Flying Fox
| was in an excited mood. Morny Cannon had to
dismount at the starting-post and soothe him by
feeding him with tufts of grass. Once the race had
started, however, Flying Fox paid strict attention
to business, and ran with bull-dog determination.

With his victory in the Jockey Club Stakes
the racing career of Flying Fox came to an end,
for just as the year 1899 was closing the Duke
of Westminster died. I had trained his Grace’s
horses for eighteen seasons, and throughout
that period our relations had been of a most
harmonious character. He was one of the
kindest of men—a nobleman in every sense of
the word. I missed him sorely. Kingsclere
never seemed quite the same after his death.

Flying Fox was unbeaten as a three-year-old
and won six races worth £37,415. The previous
season his two successes yielded £2681, so that,
exclusive of “place money,” the value of the

398 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

stakes with which he was credited amounted to _

£40,096. Here is a summary of

Fryinc Fox’s Racinc Recorp

Two Years Old (1898)

Won New Stakes, Ascot; started favourite 5 to 4.
Musa second, beaten three parts of a length;
Dismay third, four lengths behind . : ‘

~ Won Stockbridge Foal Stakes; gave 11 lb. to No
Trumps, his only opponent . ;

and to St. Gris (rec. 5 lb.), beaten a head, Inpenal
Produce Stakes, Kempton.

znd Middle Park Plate, beaten a length aid a half by
Caiman (rec. 3 lb.)

Won Criterion Stakes, Newmarket; St. Giisia at kil
weights, unplaced

‘Three Years Old

Won 2000 Guineas, beating Caiman two lengths ;
6 to 5 on Flying Fox

Won the Derby, 5 to 2 on Flying For; ; Dashes
second, beaten two lengths ; and Innocence third

Won Princess of Wales’s Stakes, Newmarket; Royal
Emblem (rec. 17 lb.) second; 6 to 4 on Flying
Fox, who won by three lengths ; nae winner
of Oaks (rec. 9 1b.), unplaced

Won Eclipse Stakes, Sandown; gave 3 Ib. to the
Duke of Westminster’s Frontier and won ls a
length ; 100 to 14 on Flying Fox .

Won St. Leger; beat Caiman three lengths; 7 to 2
on Flying Fox

Won Jockey Club Stakes ; nite Scintillant II Ib. acid
beat him four lengths ; fortnight later Scintillant
carrying 7 st., won the Cesarewitch

FLYING FOX 399

At Kingsclere, on Thursday, March 8, 1900, the
late Duke of Westminster’s horses in training
were sold by Messrs. Tattersall under the hammer.
Nineteen lots were disposed of and they made the
remarkable total of 70,440 guineas. Flying Fox
was sold for 37,500 guineas (£39,375). He was
bought by M. Edmond Blanc. This was, at the
time, an unheard-of sum for a racehorse, and was
stigmatised as ridiculous. Events proved that the
son of Orme and Vampire was one of the greatest
bargains ever secured at an auction sale. He was
sent over to his new owner’s stud near Paris, and
there he begat winners on the flat, in France alone,
of races worth £203,369 in the twelve seasons
ending July 24, 1914, when the great war put a
stop to racing in the Republic. The following
table shows the achievements of the offspring of
Flying Fox in France :

Races. Value.
1903. ; Sein £6,067
1904 . > » 25 52,834
1905: , - 34 45,270
1906 . . 28 19,336
1907 . . 2a 14,160
1908. ; $423 12,560
1g09 . ‘ 4 Oe 9,726
Igio . ‘ “4 30 3,699
AO). ‘ ed: oy 45255
Igi2 . : ;) 4,976
1913. 27 28,286

1914 (to July 24). 7 2,200
£203,369

400 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

There were 84 individual winners by Flying
Fox in France. Of these, 56 carried M. Blanc’s
colours and won stakes amounting to £152,588.
Ajax and Gouvernant were included in Flying
Fox’s first “ crop.” Asa three-year-old, Gouver-
nant won the French Two Thousand and the Prix
du President de la République; Ajax won the
French Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris,
Ajax retired to M. Blanc’s stud as a stallion;
Gouvernant was sold to the Austrian Government
for £20,000.

Among the products resulting from Flying
Fox’s second season at the stud were Jardy,
Val d’Or and Adam—all owned and raced by
M. Blanc. In the spring of their three-year-old
careers they were the victims of a severe epidemic
of influenza, Adam being the worst sufferer.
Jardy, who had won the Middle Park Plate
at Newmarket, was afflicted with the fever when
he ran second to Cicero in the Derby at Epsom,
beaten three-quarters of a length. Val d’Or
won the French Two Thousand and also the
Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, beating Cicero,
who was giving 3 |b., by half a length. In later
years Sais, a daughter of Flying Fox, won the
French One Thousand ; Madree, sold to the
Sir Rholand stable in Italy, won the Grand Prix
Ambroisien of £4000 at Milan; and then, in
1913, came Dagor, winner of the French Two
Thousand and Derby. Jardy and Val d’Or

Sa SNES ae Se Ee a ae ee

Aen See are a ee

=

SSS eo eee

FLYING FOX 401

were sold to Argentine breeders for £30,000 each,
and Adam, who I believe realised £16,000,
went to the United States, but was afterwards
sent back to Europe and bought by the Austrians.
Just before the war broke out in August 1914
negotiations were pending for the sale of Dagor
to the Austrians. Roughly speaking, M. Blanc
sold sons and daughters of Flying Fox for
£100,000. So the purchase of the son of Orme
and Vampire for £39,375 resulted in a gross
return of about £250,000 within fifteen years !
The chief individual winners by Flying Fox

have been:
Value of Stakes Won.

Gouvernant . : . £29,196
Ajax ‘ . ‘ Sb ROT
Dagor . : é 4 Og
Val d’Or . ‘ ; oO 2Qee
| Filsdu Vent. . j 9,587
Jardy , ‘ P ‘ 8,807
Madree . : , i 7,068
Sais . A ; ‘ , 6,217

With the exception of Madree, these animals
were all bred and raced by M. Blanc.

Excluding the races won by Jardy and Val
d’Or, the offspring of Flying Fox won in England,
on the flat, 37 races worth £13,334. His
winners in this country were The Welkin,
Royal Fox, High Flyer, Blankney II., Flitaway,
Brooklands, Whyte Melville, Myram, Moyglare,
Sarenna, Woodstock, Romeo, Prairie Fire, and

2D

402 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Jarnac II. The Welkin and Blankney II. are
now at the stud in Australia.

It was on my strong recommendation that
M. Blanc bought Flying Fox. When, a few
years later, I visited his stud he said to me,
as we were looking at the son of Orme, “ This
is one of the best investments I ever made.
Everything you have recommended me to buy
has turned out well.” On the occasion of my
second marriage he gave me, as a wedding present,

a subscription to Flying Fox. When the mare —
—MDiss Unicorn, by Gallinule—returned to —
England from her visit to the horse I sold her —

to the present Duke of Westminster.

Flying Fox died at M. Blanc’s stud on March
21, 1911. If he was not entitled to be called
a “‘smasher’’ as a racehorse, he was, as I have
shown, a phenomenally successful stallion. In
one respect he exhibited a characteristic which
distinguished the male line he so successfully
helped to maintain. Doncaster, Bend Or,
Ormonde, Orme, and Flying Fox, all in direct
succession, did best the first year or two they
were at the stud. The table I have given, show-
ing the value of the races won by the progeny

of Flying. Fox in France, reveals the fact that —

the achievements of his stock, after the third
year, dwindled to comparatively slender pro-
portions until Dagor came on the scene in 1913.

It only remains to be added that Ajax in France —

FLYING FOX 403

and Jardy in the Argentine, particularly the latter

(who died in 1917), upheld the fame of the family

as one that produces sires of the highest class.

Coming back to the sale at Kingsclere in 1900,
I find that ten of the lots made four figures.
They were :

Bought by fg
Calveley, 5 yrs., b.h. by St.
Serf—Sandiway. j Sir J. Thursby 7900
Goblet, 3 yrs., gr.c. by Geer
Leg—Kissing Cup. . Sir J. B. Maple 5000
Vane, 3 yrs., br.f. by Orme— |
Vampire . ‘ d . H.R.H. the Prince
of Wales 4.300

Manchuria, 3 yrs., b.f. by Orme

—Gantlet. , Mr. S. B. Joel 2300
Good Luck, 4 yrs., ch. g. by

Royal Hampton—Farewell. Mr. A. F. Basset 2100
Garb Or, 2 yrs., ch.c. by Bend |

Or—Bright Alice. . Mr. T.S. Jay 1900
Grey Bird, 2 yrs., gr.c. by |

Grey Leg—Throstle . . Duke of Westminster 1900
Ormenus, 2 yrs., ch.c. by Orme

—Ruth . : Mr. S. Darling 1700
Rydal Mount, 2 yrs., be: f. by

St. Serf—Rydal J . Duke of Westminster 1700
Quest, 2 yrs., b.f. by Orme—

Quetta. . i Mr. Brodrick Cloete 1000

Missel Thrush, then a three-year-old, by Orme
out of Throstle, was purchased on behalf of the
young Duke for 900 guineas, but four months
later was resold for 410 guineas. Owing to
leg trouble, he never raced.

404 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Several of the late Duke’s brood mares and
all his yearlings went into the ring at Newmarket
the following July. Mr. J. W. Larnach gave
2200 guineas for the nineteen-year-old Sandiway
with a colt by Orme; the Duke of Devonshire
I1s0 guineas for Bright Alice (by Macheath)
with a colt by St. Frusquin; Mr. R. W. Cox
850 guineas for Farewell with a colt by Grey
Leg, and 840 guineas for Ruth with a colt by
Grey Leg; and Sir Blundell Maple 900 guineas
for the Hermit mare St. Mary, covered by Bend
Or. On the same occasion the stallion Grey
Leg was sold to Mr. Lewisohn for 2600
guineas.

The yearlings were sold two days later, and
the prices some of them made created a sensation.
The following results were recorded :

Bought by Pry:
Bright Grey, gr. or br.c. by
Grey Leg—Bright Alice . Mr. J. Barker 320
Consort, ch.c. by Orme—
Console . ‘ Mr. R. Sievier 700
St. Benet, b.c. by Bend On
St. Mary : Duke of Westminster 1,250
Kentmere, b.c. by Cambs.
Rydal . ; Sir J. Kelk 540
Just Cause, ch.c. by Best Man
—Farewell . _ Duke of Westminster 440
Duke of Westminster, b. c. by
Orme—Gantlet . . Mr. R. Sievier 5,600

The Gatherer, gr.c. by yin’
Leg—Ruth . ‘ Duke of Westminster 2,400

FLYING FOX 405

Bought by reo
Cupbearer, b.c. by Orme—
Kissing Cup. Duke of Westminster 9,100
Flying Lemur, b.c. be Otme
—Vampire . . Duke of Westminster 5,700
B.f. by OrilieThedetlé . Mr. J. W.Larnach = 1,750
Sceptre, b.f. by Persimmon—
Ornament ‘ Mr. R. Sievier 10,000
Snowflake, b.f. by imp. “Piens
ton—Sandiway : . Mr. R. Sievier 5,500
Total (for twelve lots) . ~ 43,300

Up to that time, the highest price ever paid
for a yearling sold by auction was the 6000
guineas Sir Blundell Maple gave for Childwick.
It will readily be understood, therefore, that the
company assembled round the ring at Newmarket
gasped when Cupbearer was run up to 9100
guineas. And then, a few minutes later, we
heard the hammer fall on Mr. Sievier’s bid of
10,000 guineas for Sceptre. That figure held
its place as a “record” for a yearling until, at the
Doncaster Sales this year (1919), Lord Glanely
gave 11,500 guineas for a colt by Swynford out
of Blue Tit. Cupbearer, who was a wayward
beast, caused us bitter disappointment. Sceptre,
on the other hand, turned out a splendid bargain.
Until after she had been beaten in the Lincolnshire
Handicap as a four-year-old, she remained the
property of Mr. Sievier, who, during the greater
part of the time he had her, trained the filly

406 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

himself. She won all the classic races except
the Derby, and, for Mr. Sievier, stakes to the
value of £25,650.

At the end of March 1903 she was sold
for £25,000 to Mr. (now Sir) William Bass,
for whom she won the Jockey Club Stakes and
other races worth £12,633, so that the famous
mare’s aggregate of winnings was £38,283. As
I contemplate these figures my mind dwells on
the scene in the Sale Paddock at Newmarket
when Sceptre was under the hammer. We were
the underbidders for her. Mr. Cecil Parker,
the Duke of Westminster’s agent, did the
“nodding,” and he began to perspire with excite-
ment as the price rose to 8000 guineas, then to
gooo, and on further. After Mr. Sievier had
offered 10,000 guineas Mr. Parker refused to
proceed further although I urged him to go on.
Mr. Sievier’s good luck was our misfortune. It
was, however, more than good luck that came
to the buyer’s aid that day. He displayed a
confident judgment and a fearless determination
to beat all opposition. All the same, while I am
compelled to give him this credit, I have always
regretted that Sceptre did not come to Kings-
clere, as she would have done had the old Duke
been spared to us a while longer.

ne =

LA ROCHE AND WILLIAM THE
THIRD

In the late autumn of 1898 the Duke of Port-
land’s horses, which had been trained by George
Dawson at Newmarket, came to Kingsclere.
Among the yearlings sent from Welbeck was
the filly La Roche, by St. Simon out of Miss
Mildred, by Melton. Lord Berkeley Paget
had, I understood, a half share in the youngster.
On April 17, 1899, we tried La Roche with five
other two-year-olds, with the appended result :

Five Furlongs

-303, 2 yrs., 9 st. 4 lb.

La Roche, 2 yrs., 9 st. 4 Ib.
St. Vigila, 2 yrs., 9 st. 4 lb.
450, 2 yrs., 9 st. § |b.
Amnesty, 2 yrs., 8 st. 12 lb.
The Crack, 2 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib.

Won by a length; two lengths between Babe

and third; three lengths between third and
fourth.

An & OQ nN

A daughter of Carbine (a great Australian horse
imported to England by the Duke of Portland
407

408 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

in 1895), -303 did not win as a two-year-old;
and it was not until the Doncaster September
Meeting that La Roche first earned winning
brackets by gaining a victory in the Prince of
Wales’s Nursery—a prize her sire himself won
in most impressive style. Before that she had
run three times—twice unplaced, and second ~
to Dum Dum in the Acorn Stakes at Epsom.
In the autumn La Roche was unplaced in a
£1000 Nursery at Kempton, and then ran
third in the Osmaston Nursery at Derby.

This was scarcely “ classic’’ form ; but there
was encouragement in the fact that the per-
formance at Doncaster proved La Roche to be
endowed with stamina, for the Prince of Wales’s
Nursery is a mile race. It was staying power
that brought her into prominence the following
year. We tried her as follows on April 27,
1900 :

One Mile
Elopement, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 lb. I
Simon Dale, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 Ib. 2
La Roche, 3 yrs., 8 st. 9 Ib. t Na
Missel Thrush, 3 yrs., 8 st. 9 Ib. . K Sila |

Won by two lengths; three lengths between
second and third; three lengths between third and
fourth.

A month previously, at Liverpool, Elope-
ment had won the Union Jack Stakes; on May
2 he started favourite, at 15 to 8, for the Two

LA ROCHE 4.09

Thousand Guineas and finished fourth to Diamond
Jubilee. Two days later La Roche, a 100 to
8 chance, ran fourth in the One Thousand,
beaten by Winifreda, Inquisitive, and Vain
Duchess. We did not try her again before the
Oaks, her next race. Over the longer distance
I was quite prepared to see her give a better
display than she did at Newmarket. Nor was
I disappointed, for she won the Oaks, and
easily too, beating Merry Gal (dam of White
Eagle) by three lengths, with Lady Schomberg
third. Winifreda and Inquisitive were both
unplaced.

Then came the Manchester Cup. For this
she was handicapped at 6 st. 11 lb., but a 10 Ib.
penalty, incurred by winning the Oaks, raised
her weight to 7 st. 9 lb. Even so, she started
favourite at 7 to 4, and won in a canter by six
lengths. La Roche was indeed a clinker over
a mile and a half at that time.

At York, in August, she won the Yorkshire
Oaks (a mile and a half), giving no less than 1g |b.
to Inquisitive and 5 lb. to Vain Duchess, both
of whom had beaten her over a mile at level
weights in the spring. She then started an
odds on favourite for the Doncaster Cup (2
miles) in September, but just failed to give 7 lb.
to King’s Courier and 10 lb. to Merry Gal.
The Newmarket Oaks was merely a canter for
her, and her last race was the Cambridgeshire

410 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of that year. She was called upon to carry 8 st.
11 lb. and failed, the nine furlongs not being
far enough to enable her to show to advantage.
La Roche was unquestionably a high-class filly,
especially when running over her best distance.
The Duke of Portland now acquired from Lord
Berkeley Paget his half share, and La Roche
went to the stud at Welbeck. Among the
several winners she has bred are Cannobie and
Sir Berkeley, and also Almissa who went to
Australia, where he won the Australian Cup and
other races. |

Manners, a bay colt by St. Simon out of
Tact, was one of the Duke of Portland’s horses
that came to Kingsclere in the autumn of 1898.
He was then a two-year-old and had been beaten
in six races. We raced him three times as a
three-year-old. At Ascot he won the Prince of
Wales’s Stakes and ran second to Ninus in the
Hardwicke Stakes ; while at York, in August,
he captured the Great Yorkshire Stakes. After
three unsuccessful outings the following year,
he was sold and went to Germany. Manners
was a good stayer, but as a racehorse only a
second-rater.

Among the first batch of yearlings that came
to me from Welbeck was the brown colt Simon
Dale, by St. Simon out of Ismay, a daughter of
Isonomy. With a view to his fulfilling an
engagement in the Ham Stakes at Goodwood—

LA ROCHE 411

his first race—I tried him as follows on July
22, 1899:
Six Furlongs

Good Luck, 3 yrs., 10 st... . M. Cannon 1
Simon Dale, 2 yrs, 9st. . . Dibbin 2
Granite, 2 yrs., 8 st.4 1b. . . K. Cannon 3
Goblet, 2 yrs., 8st.4 1b... ; o 4
St. Vigila, 2 yrs., 8 st. 1 Ib. . : ce 5
Amphlett, 2 yrs., 8st. 1 Ib. . ‘ a 6

Won by three-quarters of a length; a length and
a half between second and third; a length between
third and fourth.

Good Luck (the Duke of Westminster’s) had
won the Trial Stakes at Ascot and also a race at
Sandown, so that, by running him to three-
quarters of a length on terms 13 lb. worse than
weight-for-age, Simon Dale afforded us much
satisfaction. Goblet, moreover, had won a
Biennial at Ascot. In the Ham Stakes, Simon
Dale had only one opponent—Mr. Arthur James’s
The Gorgon, who was to become the dam of
Gorgos, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas.
She had won the New Stakes at Ascot, and been
placed third and second in her two subsequent
races. Nevertheless, odds of 100 to 30 were
laid on Simon Dale, who gave the filly 4 lb. and
beat her easily by two lengths.

Simon Dale’s next outing was at Doncaster,
where, in the Champagne Stakes, he met his
match in Lord William Beresford’s American-
bred gelding Democrat. Ridden by Sloan, the

412 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

latter beat the Duke of Portland’s colt a head
after a thrilling finish. That season Democrat
won seven of the eleven races in which he took
part, including the Middle Park and the Dew-
hurst Plates, in both of which he beat Diamond
Jubilee. Simon Dale ran fourth in the Middle
Park Plate, and, giving weight to all his opponents,
was, a fortnight later, also unplaced in the
Criterion Stakes.

During the ensuing winter Simon Dale made
normal progress, and, as already recorded,
finished second in the trial over a mile on
April 27, beaten two lengths at level weights by
Elopement, with La Roche, receiving 7 Ib.,
three lengths behind him. He did not run that
season until the Derby, and then finished second
to Diamond Jubilee, who won by half a length
only. This form was no doubt somewhat flatter-
ing to Simon Dale, because I could not regard
him as being more than a useful colt. For a
few moments, just after he had passed Disguise II.
and taken second place about a furlong from home,
it seemed likely that Simon Dale would catch
and beat the Prince’s horse; but Diamond
Jubilee struggled on very gamely and held
his own to the end. There was then a soul-
stirring scene. A report (premature as it turned
out) had reached the course early in the afternoon
that Lord Roberts had entered Pretoria, and
while the Prince of Wales stood on the steps

a
i

LA ROCHE 413

of the Jockey Club Stand, hat in hand, the
surging crowd that had swarmed on to the race-
track fervently sang the National Anthem.

At Ascot, Simon Dale won the Prince of
Wales’s Stakes in a canter from some moderate
opponents ; but three days later he was easily, and
unaccountably, beaten in the Hardwicke Stakes.
His only other race that season was in the Eclipse
Stakes, won by Diamond Jubilee ; he finished
fourth. He did not run again, and died in 1902.

Elopement, who finished first in the gallop
when Simon Dale and La Roche were tried,
was a colt by Right-away bred and raced by Mr.
W. M. Low. As a two-year-old he won the
Windsor Castle Stakes at Ascot, and the Clearwell
at Newmarket, and the following year carried
off the September Stakes at Sandown Park, as
well as the Union Jack Stakes at Liverpool in
the spring. He was placed fourth in the Two
Thousand Guineas (for which he started favourite)
and also in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood.
Ultimately he went to Germany, where he was
a fairly successful sire.

I now come to William the Third, a horse
of whom I cherish very happy recollections.
Foaled in 1898, and reared at Welbeck, he
was a bay colt by St. Simon out of Gravity, by
Wisdom out of Enigma. Gravity was bred by
the late Mr. A. Hoole, a farmer at Hinnington
near Shifnal, in Shropshire. Mr. Hoole’s first

414. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

venture in the way of bloodstock was the purchase
of Wisdom, whom he secured at Tattersall’s for
fifty guineas. Requiring mares to put to the
horse he went to Shrewsbury market, and there
bought two or three, one being Enigma. He
paid £34 for her! When Wisdom died he
was standing at a fee of two hundred guineas.
As a yearling, Gravity was sold for 500 guineas
to Tom Wadlow, who, a brother-in-law of Mr.
Hoole, trained at Stanton, near Shifnal. He
passed her on to Mr. W. H. Fenwick, who
raced her twice, without success, as a two-year-old,
and then sent her to the paddock. Mr. Fenwick
kept her until 1893, and then disposed of her to
Mr. P. Aldworth. It was in 1896 she became
the property of the Duke of Portland. In 1897
she bred, to St. Simon, a filly named St. Edana,
who never raced, and, covered by Royal Hampton,
went to France in 1900. Then came William
the Third.

When William (as we used to call him)
reached Kingsclere as a yearling, he was a light,
shelly colt ; indeed, I do not exaggerate when I
say that he looked weedy and weak. There was
certainly nothing in his appearance to suggest
he would develop into the great horse he became.
It was obvious he required time to mature. He
steadily improved; especially through the spring of
his two-year-old career. On June 28, 1900, we
gave him a test gallop with the following result :

WILLIAM THE THIRD 41S

Five Furlongs

St. Vigila, 3 yrs., 9 st. 7 Ib. . ; j Rouse 1
Sabot, 2 yrs., 8st. 11 ]b. . ‘ ‘ Shaw 2
William the Third, 2 yrs., 8 st. 11 lb. . Moreton 3
Cuckney, 2 yrs., 8 st. 4 lb. . ; . Gallon 4

Won by a length; a length between second and third :
six lengths between third and fourth.

The Duke of Portland’s St. Vigila won, as a
two-year-old, a Nursery at Sandown Park. Prior
to the trial she had run unplaced in the Oaks,
and a few days later finished a good third in a
handicap at Newmarket.

It was abundantly evident that William the
Third was not yet ready for racing. But he
continued to improve, and also to show indica-
tions that staying was his forte. In September
we were furnished with evidence which conclu-
sively proved he would show to advantage in
contests calling for stamina. On the 8th of
that month he was tried as follows:

One Mile
William the Third, 2 yrs., 8 st. 12 lb. . Shaw 1
St. Aldegonde, 2 yrs., 8 st. 12 Ib. . : Gallon 2
Mannlicher, 2 yrs., 8 st. rr Ib. . Moreton 3
Columbian, 2 yrs., 8 st. 10 |b. ; ; Rouse 4

Won by a length; three lengths between second
and third ; a length between third and fourth.

On September 14 St. Aldegonde ran in the
Prince of Wales’s Nursery, a mile race, at

416 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Doncaster, and, giving 3 lb., was second, beaten
three-quarters of a length by Mackintosh.

William the Third made his first and only
public appearance as a two-year-old in the Clear-
well Stakes over the T.Y.C. (5 f. 140 yds.)
at Newmarket in the autumn. The distance
was not far enough to bring out the best that
was in him, and he failed to make a show.
The race was won by Mr. Lorillard’s Exedo
from Osboch and Zip. Odds of 6 to 1 were
laid against William the Third. Even at this
stage he was nothing like properly furnished ;
indeed, I may say here that he did not attain
to full development until he was a five-year-old.

He progressed steadily during the ensuing
winter. His first “trial’’ as a three-year-old
was a public one. At the Newmarket Craven
Meeting he competed for the Wood Ditton
Stakes, run over the Ditch Mile. There was
a big “ field”’ of moderate horses; but, not-
withstanding the character of the opposition,
“* William ”’ was easy to back at ro to 1. He,
however, spread-eagled his opponents, and won
in a common canter by six lengths from Tantalus
and Ormeus, who had started equal favourites.
This smashing performance told us all we wanted
to know about William the Third. It did away
with the necessity of subjecting him to a home
trial, and, as a matter of fact, he was not privately
tried that season.

WILLIAM THE THIRD = 417

Eight days after his victory at Newmarket,
William ran in the Esher Stakes at Sandown
Park. This race was then a_nine-furlong
handicap. Our colt was weighted at 6 st. 5 Ib.,
and was ridden by Childs, an apprentice who
claimed a ¢ |b. allowance. William, therefore,
actually carried 6 st. What a chance to bet
upon! The public, however, did not realise
what a “good thing’’ he was, for they backed
St. Nydia (giving 22 lb.) at 4 to 1 and Cateran
Lad (giving 20 |b.) at 9 to 2 to beat him. The
bookmakers laid 7 to 4 against the son of St.
Simon! Needless to say they had to pay over
him, for he won as he liked by six lengths from
St. Nydia. He had at least a stone in hand
that day.

William the Third had not been nominated
for the Two Thousand Guineas; but he com-
peted in the Newmarket Stakes (14 mile) and
won, but by a head only, from Mr. Leopold de
Rothschild’s Doricles, who had finished second
(two lengths behind Handicapper) in the Two
Thousand Guineas a fortnight previously. The
betting between William the Third and Doricles
had been very close—2 to 1 against William
and 9 to 4 Doricles. I could not understand
the form, for I expected to see William win
easily.

Then came the Derby. The favourite was
Volodyovski, a colt by Florizel II., owned by

2E

418 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Lady Meux, but leased to the American sports-
man Mr. W. C. Whitney. Volodyovski had
been easily beaten, when unfit, by St. Maclou
and Magic Mirror in the Newmarket Biennial
in April; but in the meantime had satisfied his
trainer, Huggins, an American; and there was

no denying that, on his two-year-old form, |

““Voly ” was the best of his year. In the betting
on the Derby there was a disposition to give
William the Third the “cold shoulder.” The
public preferred not only Volodyovski, but
also Floriform (who had not previously run
that year), Handicapper (quite naturally perhaps),
and Revenue, who also had not run that year.
Against William the Third 100 to 7 was offered,
Ian being at the same price.

Volodyovski won the Derby by three-quarters
of a length; William the Third finished second,
four lengths in front of Veronese. In my opinion
Morny Cannon did not make the most of his
opportunity that day. Instead of “ waiting in
front’ as he might have done on a good stayer,
he lay behind in the early part of the race, and
gave William too much to do after rounding
Tattenham Corner. But this view was not, I
frankly admit, borne out by the result of the
race for the Hurst Park Lennox Stakes in August,
when, again over a mile and a half, William the
Third, receiving 3 lb., beat Volodyovski by a
head only. This form practically confirmed the

eee

nee — ———————

WILLIAM THE THIRD 419

Derby running to an ounce, and it may be fairer
to admit that at that time Volodyovski was the
better of the two. One is, perhaps, too much
inclined to estimate William the Third’s abilities
in the light of the form he afterwards developed
—form which was far and away superior to that
he revealed as a three-year-old. Moreover, if
the Derby and the race at Hurst Park had been

run over two miles instead of a mile and a half,

Volodyovski, I am convinced, would have been
beaten on both occasions.
Unfortunately, William the Third was not

engaged in the St. Leger, in which Doricles

beat Volodyovski by a neck. He was allowed to
walk over for the September Stakes at Sandown
Park; and his only other outing that season was
the Kempton Park Stakes (mile and a half) in
October. He ran unplaced to Epsom Lad,
Santoi, and Volodyovski. William did not
“race” at all that day, and I can only say I
was very disappointed by his performance.

As a four-year-old William the Third was a
vastly improved horse. He had furnished nicely
and was much stronger than in the previous
season. We no longer had any occasion to
worry about him. I have said that staying was
his real game, and the Ascot Cup, his first race
in 1902, revealed his superlative stamina. There
were eleven runners, among them Osboch,
Santoi, Black Sand, King’s Courier, La Camargo,

420 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Cheri, Cap and Bells II., First Principal, and
Volodyovski. Very seldom does the Ascot Cup
bring out so big a “ constellation.” At Epsom

that year Lord Wolverton’s Osboch had won —

the Coronation Cup, beating Volodyovski,

Santoi, Black Sand, and King’s Courier; at —
Kempton, the same week, Santoi won the Corona- —
tion Commemoration Stakes, beating Volod- —

yovski, Floriform, Pietermaritzburg, and Pistol;

First Principal had that year won the City and —
Suburban Handicap; in the autumn Black Sand _

was returned the winner of the Cesarewitch;
King’s Courier was a Doncaster Cup winner ;
Volodyovski and Cap and Bells II. were, respect-

ively, winners of the Derby and Oaks; La —

Camargo was a winner of the French Oaks and
of the Grand Prize of Baden, and one of the best
stayers ever bred in France ; Cheri had won the
French Two Thousand and the Grand Prix de
Paris.

The Duke of Portland’s Mannlicher was sent
to the post to make a good pace for William
the Third, and the formality of declaring to win

with William was adopted. This was, perhaps, —
a needless precaution. By Carbine out of the —

Oaks winner Memoir, Mannlicher was a fairly
useful horse, but not in the same class as
William the Third. It is worth while repro-
ducing the report of this race from the
Calendar :

|

WILLIAM THE THIRD 421

Gold Cup, value £1000, with £3000 in specie (of which the
second received £700 and the third £300), added to a Sweep-
stakes of £20 each, half forfeit; three-year-olds, 7 st. 7 Ib. ;
four, 9 st.; five, six, and aged, g st. 4 lb.; mares allowed 3 lb.
Starting at the Cup post and going once round, about 24 miles
(57 subscribers—£3660).

Duke of Portland’s.b.c. William the Third sf

St. Simon, 4 yrs. ; M. Cannon 1
Lord Wolverton’s b.c. Osboch, 4 sii, j . Maher 2
Mr. G. Edwardes’ b. or br.h. Santoi, 5 yrs. . Piggott 3
Mr. A. Stedall’s b.h. First Principal, § yrs. . . W. Lane 4
Mr. J. Buchanan’s b.h. Black Sand, 5 yrs. . . Valdez —
Lord Ellesmere’s ch.c. King’s Courier, § yrs. C. Jenkins —

Duke of Portland’s br.c. Mannlicher, 4 yrs. K.-Cannon —
M. M. Caillault’s br.c. Cheri, 4 yrs. ; . Jj. Reiff -

M. A. Abeille’s b.f. La Camargo, 4 yrs... . M‘Intyre -
Mr. Foxhall Keene’s b. or br.f. Cap and Bells

{l., 4 yrs. > . Spencer —
Mr. W. C. Whitney’s b. c. Volodyork

ayn ‘ . J. H. Martin -

Betting: 2 to 1 against William the Third, 9 to 2 Osboch,
8 to 1 each La Camargo, Santoi, and Cheri, ro to 1 Volodyovski,
100 to 8 First Principal, 100 to 7 Cap and Bells II., 33 to 1
each Black Sand and King’s Courier. Won by five lengths ;
three lengths between second and third.

The victory gained that day by William the
Third called forth unstinted admiration. Until
about six furlongs from home he was at the tail
end of the field, but before another three furlongs
had been traversed was leading. Thereafter he
sailed along at his ease. His triumph was hailed
with popular approval. There was hearty cheer-

422 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

ing when he passed the winning-post, again when
he returned to the unsaddling enclosure, and yet
again when the “all right ” was signalled. His
performance astonished the French sportsmen
who had come over expecting to see either La
Camargo or Cheri win the Cup. They could
hardly believe their eyes when they beheld their
two companions so hopelessly beaten. The
discomfiture they endured was all the greater
because not only had they anticipated “ lifting ”
the Cup, they also believed Amer Picon, their
candidate for the Alexandra Plate, run the follow-
ing day, would be successful, but now realised
that William the Third was unbeatable in the
latter contest.

There were six runners for the Alexandra
Plate—a three-mile race. One was Osboch, to
whom William had to give tolb. The extra half-
mile more than counterbalanced the additional
weight, however, and with Mannlicher once
more acting as a pace-maker, the son of St. Simon
made his antagonists look mere platers by gaining
a six-lengths’ victory. Osboch again finished
second, and the French horse, Amer Picon (by
Le Saggitaire, and owned by Count de Ganay),
was third.

The public now knew as well as we did what
manner of horse William the Third was. When
he went to the post for the Doncaster Cup,
accompanied once more by Mannlicher, and

_ -
pa

ee

SR ER SIS SSB SSE

WILLIAM THE THIRD 423

opposed again by Santoi (who must have hated
the sight of him), odds of 10 to 1 were laid on.
Inasmuch as William the Third won by eight
lengths from his stable companion, with Santoi
beaten a head for second place, it will be
understood that those who had the temerity to
speculate on his chance endured no anxious
moments.

A “walk over” for the Lowther Stakes at
the Newmarket Second October Meeting was
followed a fortnight later by a duel with King’s
Courier (later the property of Lord Ellesmere)
for the Limekiln Stakes, which resulted in
“ William ” winning by two lengths. Two days
later there came one of the extraordinary happen-
ings which abound in the history of the Turf.
In the race for the Jockey Club Cup over the
Cesarewitch course of 24 miles—a course ideally
suited to him—wWilliam the Third was beaten
a length by Mr. J. Buchanan’s Black Sand, who,
two weeks previously, had carried 8 st. 2 lb. to
victory in the Cesarewitch. This result com-
pletely mystified us. Some well-meaning people
advanced the excuse that William the Third
was not fit. This suggestion was nonsensical;
if he had not been fit I should not have allowed
him to run. His defeat was beyond explana-
tion; that is the long and the short of the
incident.

Little did we know at the time that this was

424. JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

to be William the Third’s last appearance on a
racecourse. We confidently looked forward to
his winning the Ascot Cup again the following
season, and to that end I gave him a thorough
preparation. Turning to my Trial Book I find
the following entry made on June 10, 1903:

Two Miles
William the Third, 5 yrs., 8 st. 13 lb. . . M. Cannon 1
Friar Tuck, 4 yrs., 7 st. 9 lb. q : ‘ Hardy 2
Throwaway, 4 yrs.,6st.8 lb. . i ; Molloy 3

“A good rough gallop. William won easily.”

The race for the Ascot Cup was run eight days
later. On the Monday morning of Ascot week
it was very wet, so I decided to leave William the
Third at Kingsclere, because I did not want him
to travel in the wet and cold. He had his final
gallop that Monday, and required nothing more
than canters on the Tuesday and Wednesday
mornings. It was arranged that he should go
to Ascot on the Wednesday. I left home on
Monday with the other horses that were to run
that week. Barely had I reached the racecourse
the following day when I was handed a telegram
from my head man, Moreton, informing me that
William the Third had met with an accident.
Without delay I travelled back to Kingsclere,
and on arriving there found that William had
split a pastern. While doing his canter that
morning he must have struck a flint in the ground,
which was very heavy.

A hee. ME he

|

WILLIAM THE THIRD 425

I was, of course, terribly disappointed, for |
regarded William the Third at that time as one
of the greatest horses over long distances we
had ever seen on the Turf. He had steadily
improved with age, and, as a five-year-old, was
better than he had ever been. A very quiet,
kind horse, and a good “‘ doer,” he never gave us
any trouble. When racing, his heart was always
in his work. He had greater length and scope
than the generality of St. Simon’s sons; he was
more of the Isonomy type. When he had fully
developed he was a picture of a-horse, and I was
particularly fond of him.

I defy anybody to name two better horses

over distances than William the Third and

Isonomy. Regarded purely as stayers, they
were unquestionably the best horses I| trained.
The way in which William the Third developed
after his two-year-old days afforded one more
illustration of the wisdom of not attempting to
force a youngster who is obviously backward
and requires building up.

With time and treatment we might, perhaps,
have got William the Third into racing trim
again, but we did not think it worth while to
persevere. His reputation was beyond all cavil,
and so it was decided that he should retire to the
stud. Some time elapsed before he was sound
enough to make the journey from Kingsclere to
Welbeck. As a sire he was a success, though

426 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE .-

he did not achieve all that his ardent admirers
expected. He dropped dead at Welbeck on

February 25, 1917. His record as a sire of

winners to the close of the 1918 season is as
follows :

Winners. Races. Value.

1907 . 4 tn § 6 £2,649
1908 . é ne 15 5,681
1909 . ‘ a 2 18 6,248
Igto . : si eo 36 20,874
IQII . 5 . |) 8o 42 20,405
Igi2. ‘ ae ¢: 30 12,672
I9I3 . , oii RF 27 > 12,801
I9I4 . ; ‘20 364 21,883
IgI5*. ‘ ee 5 1,830
1916*. , Ae 7 5,024
1917*. ; Ae 6 973
1918*. ‘ ee 34 1,0134

232 £112,0534

* Racing conducted on very restricted lines owing to the War.

The most notable of his offspring are Battleaxe,
Ardentrive, Third Trick, William the Fourth (third
in the Derby), Merry Jack, Winkipop (winner of

the One Thousand), King William, Willonyx |

(winner of the Ascot Cup, Cesarewitch under

record weight, etc.), Wrinkler, Willaura, Wilfrid, }'
Ultimus, Roseworthy, William of Orange, Queen’s
Man, Karenza, Taslett, Birlingham, Nassau, Pilli- —

winkie, Roseland, Trois Temps, and Nassovian.

It is my privilege to claim the credit of breed-
ing Willonyx, the best of William the Third’s

WILLIAM THE THIRD 427

sons. His dam Tribonyx had a varied history.
Bred in Ireland in 1902, by Captain Greer, she
was by Gallinule out of Fervour, by Chippendale.
She was sold as a yearling at the Newmarket
July Sales, 1903, to Mr. P. P. Gilpin for 340
guineas. The following year she ran three
times, without success, in the name of Mr. A.
W. Davis, but before the end of that season
passed into the possession of Mr. J. Musker,
who sent her to the Newmarket December Sales
in 1904. She was then bought by Mr. E. Bird
for 45 guineas. The following July she again
came into the sale ring at Newmarket as the
property of Mr. Alfred Stedall, and I secured her
for 100 guineas. She was then in foal to St.
Maclou, but slipped twins. I mated her with
William the Third, and the following year she
produced Willonyx. I was then living at Strat-
tons, near Kingsclere, but in the autumn of that
year sold the property to go and live at Newbury.
As I had no accommodation for brood mares at
my new home, I disposed of Tribonyx and another
mare to M. Edmond Blanc for £1000 each, and
sold their foals to Sir John Robinson for £900
the pair. When offered for sale at Doncaster
the following year, Willonyx did not make his
reserve, but was afterwards sold privately to
Mr. C. E. Howard, for whom he won ten races
worth £11,217, and, on retiring to the stud,
commanded a fee of 300 guineas. For a while

428 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE _

his offspring raced with little success, but it was
difficult to believe he would have to be classed
a failure as a sire. Sure enough, he has latterly —
come into considerable prominence owing to the
achievements of his sons Air Raid and Silonyx—__
both good stayers. |

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE

Amonc the horses at Kingsclere in 1901 were
Mr. Alexander’s Throwaway and Mr. (now
Lord) Faber’s Pietermaritzburg. Throwaway, a
son of Right-away, was a two-year-old that
season, and won races at Bath and Liverpool.
At Chester in 1902 he picked up the Dee Stakes,
and in the autumn won the Liverpool Cup after
running a dead-heat with King’s Courier, who,
a five-year-old, was conceding 8 lb. Throwaway
did not win a race in 1903, and at the end of that
season left Kingsclere. In 1904 he won the
Ascot Cup, and I was very pleased indeed to see
him do so for his owner’s sake. I may say,
however, that when he was under my care,
Throwaway was at least two stone behind
William the Third. !
Pietermaritzburg, by St. Simon out of Sea
Air, was one of several horses owned by Mr.
George Faber that came to me in the autumn of
1900. He was then a two-year-old. His only
race had been the Tattersall Sale Stakes at Don-

caster, in which he was unplaced. As a three-
429

430 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

year-old he won the Tudor Plate at Sandown
Park, the Durham Produce Stakes at Stockton,

and the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket, the —

three prizes making a total of nearly £9000.
In the Jockey Club Stakes he defeated Epsom
Lad six lengths, with Diamond Jubilee third,

another four lengths away. In the St. Leger, —

Pietermaritzburg ran fourth to Doricles, Volod-
yovski, and Revenue; and in the Champion
Stakes at Newmarket, run over a mile and three-
quarters, was second to Osboch, with Doricles
two lengths behind him. The following year he
ran unplaced in the Coronation Commemoration
Stakes at Kempton and was second to Veles in
the Princess of Wales’s Stakes of £10,000 at
Newmarket. After two or three seasons at the
Heath Stud, Newmarket, where he commanded
a fee of 25 guineas, he was sold to an Argentine
breeder. He was phenomenally successful as a
stallion in South America. In 1911 his offspring
won stakes worth over £44,000.

In 1896, after producing Flying Fox, Vampire
was again put to Orme and bred the filly Vane,
who won the Bretby Stakes as a two-year-old.
Then, as the result of an alliance with Grey Leg,
came the filly Grey Lady, who never raced. Put
once more to Orme, Vampire threw, in 1899, the
colt Flying Lemur, for whom the present Duke
of Westminster paid 5700 guineas at the sale of
his grandfather’s yearlings. The youngster dis-

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 431

appointed us as a two-year-old, for he ran four
times without winning. At Ascot he was un-
placed for the New Stakes, and at Goodwood
ran third to Duke of Westminster and Game
Chick for the Richmond Stakes. On October
12 I tried him to beat the two-year-olds St.
Benet and Cupbearer, and the three-year-old
Grey Bird, over six furlongs, but the form did
not amount to much because Flying Lemur ran
unplaced in the Middle Park Plate, won by
Minstead from Csardas and Port Blair. He,
however, very nearly won the Criterion Stakes,
for he was beaten two heads only by Ballantrae
and Snowberry.

On April 24 the following year I recorded the
appended trial in my book:

One Mile

Flying Lemur, 3 yrs., 9 st.
Duke of Westminster, 3 yrs., 9 st. 2 Tb.
Cupbearer, 3 yrs., 9 st. ‘
Gatherer, 3 yrs., 7 st. 7 lb.
Caro, 3 yrs., 9 st. .

Won by a neck; half a ite isco ad
and third; half a length between third and fourth,
and a head between fourth and fifth.

Wt ke WH N

I appended a note which reads: ‘‘ Duke of West-
minster ought to have won by two lengths; was
crossed by Flying Lemur.”

The trial had been arranged for the special
benefit of Duke of Westminster, who was engaged

432 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

in the Two Thousand Guineas, run six days later.

This was the colt by Orme out of Gantlet for _
whom Mr. Sievier gave 5600 guineas at the sale —
of the old Duke’s yearlings. As a two-year-old
he won the two races in which he took part— _
the New Stakes at Ascot and the Richmond
Stakes at Goodwood. In the latter he gave wi
Flying Lemur 8 Ib. and beat him two lengths.
During the ensuing winter Mr. Faber bought
Duke of Westminster, paying £20,000 for him.
He proved a bad bargain, although seemingly _
worth the money at the time he was purchased.
Mr. Faber had the offer of Sceptre at £15,000
when he bought Duke of Westminster. As he
had a strong leaning towards the colt I chose him
instead of the filly. In regard to this matter,
which occasioned a good deal of ill-natured
gossip, I may be allowed to point out that when —
the late Duke of Westminster’s yearlings came —

up for sale my advice was that the present Duke
should buy Sceptre, but I made no recommendation
with regard to the Orme-Gantlet colt. That shows
what I thought of the two animals at that time.

In the Two Thousand Guineas Duke of

Westminster started, at 4 to 1, an equal favourite
with his former stable companion Sceptre. The

filly won easily from Pistol and Ard Patrick; the
nowhere.” The disappointment this —

ee

colt ran
failure caused was accentuated by Duke of West-

minster’s wretched displays in the Derby and the —

ma

b

‘

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 433

Cambridgeshire, his only other outings that
season. As a four-year-old he won the Rous
Memorial at Ascot, beating Flotsam and Royal
Lancer, This, however, was only a momentary
flicker of the form he possessed as a two-year-old.
His record subsequent to his juvenile days does
not, indeed, bear thinking about. At the stud,
too, he did very little.

Flying Lemur did not run until Ascot, where
he won the Derby, and finished second to
Sceptre in the St. James’s Place Stakes. These
efforts completed his racing record. He was
sold to Mr. J. Musker, who put him to the stud.
In 1906, at Mr. Musker’s great dispersal sale,
the brother to Flying Fox was bought by the
Austrians for 7500 guineas. He died a week
or two after his arrival in Austria.

On May 29, 1902, Flying Lemur took part
in our Derby trial, the result of which was:

One Mile and a Half

Friar ‘Tuck, 3 yrs., 9 st. . I
Flying Lemur, 3 yrs., 9 st. ; ae
St. Aldegonde, 4 yrs., 8 st... ' : sot
Caro, 3 yrs., 9 st. 4

Won by a length; ten lengths between second
and third.

Friar Tuck was a brown colt by Friar’s Balsam

out of a mare by Galopin. He belonged to the

Duke of Portland. His only races as a two-year-
2F

434 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

old were in a Biennial at Ascot, and the Prender-
gast Stakes at Newmarket in the autumn. In both —
he ran unplaced. Q

When I tried him over a mile on May 3, 1902, —
he was beaten at level weights, a neck and a
length, by the three-year-olds St. Benet and Just —
Cause. This form looked a little better when, —
four days later, Just Cause won the Roodeye —
Maiden Plate at Chester; and two days later
still Friar Tuck himself won the May Plate at —
Kempton Park. Then came the Derby trial —
which he won. We had little cause, however, ©
to expect Friar Tuck to distinguish himself at
Epsom. Sceptre, winner of the Two Thousand —
and One Thousand Guineas, was a raging hot
favourite for that year’s Derby, while Pekin and
Ard Patrick were also strongly fancied candi-
dates. Against Friar Tuck odds of 100 to 7 ~
were laid. Ard Patrick won by three lengths —
from Rising Glass, with Friar Tuck third,
another three lengths away. Sceptre, who ran |
a long way below her true form, finished fourth. |
In the St. Leger, Friar Tuck was again placed
third, Sceptre and Rising Glass being in front —
of him. He, however, won three other races —
that season, and so paid his way very well. It —
may be said of him that he was just a useful sort
of horse. He went to India when a four-year-old, _
and then to Australia, where he was at the stud
a few seasons. |

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 435

In 1902 we had good two-year-olds in the
Duke of Portland’s Greatorex, a bay colt by
Carbine out of Mrs. Butterwick ; and Mr. Low’s
Littleton, a colt by Right-away. When they
were tried on June 11 with Miss Unicorn (a
six-year-old I had bought at Epsom for 450
guineas after she had won a Selling Plate on
June 4) the result was:

Five and a Half Furlongs

Littleton, 2 yrs., 8 st. 11 Ib. . . R dita
Greatorex, 2 yrs., 8 st. 11 Ib. igh
Miss Unicorn, 6 yrs., 9 st. 4. lb. . : eS

Three others also ran.
Won by a neck; three lengths between second
and third.

I tried the two-year-olds again on September
25 over six furlongs. The result then was:

Greatorex, 2 yrs., 9 st. I lb... I
Littleton, 2 yrs., 9 st. 1 Ib. " pe
Songcraft, 2 yrs., 9 st. 1 lb. . ' " Ai
Fairfield, 2 yrs., 9 st. 1 Ib. 4

Won in a canter by two lengths; two lengths
between second and third; four lengths between
third and fourth.

Fight days after the first trial Greatorex ran
second to Sir E. Cassel’s Sermon for the New
Stakes at Ascot, beaten a length and a half. He
started favourite at 7 to 4. The same week he
won the Foal Stakes at Hurst Park, beating

436 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Hammerkop four lengths; and at the beginning
of September the Champion Breeders’ Stakes at __
Derby. After the second trial, which must have
been with a view to testing the merits of Littleton, __

Greatorex was beaten a head for the Middle

Park Plate by Flotsam, Rock Sand coming in F. ‘
third. There can, however, be little doubt that

the form, so far as Rock Sand was concerned, was

all wrong, for in the Dewhurst Plate, a fortnight a

later, Rock Sand won easily from King Edward’s
Mead, Greatorex being third only. After this

Greatorex unfortunately went wrong in his wind,
and no more was seen of him on a racecourse.
He went to South Africa, where he has done
extremely well at the stud. ‘

Littleton only ran once as a two-year-old—
at the Newmarket Second October Meeting, an
hour after Greatorex had so nearly won the
Middle Park Plate. He was strongly backed to

win a Maiden T.Y.O. Plate, but ran badly, ; i
Caravel winning in a canter, with Littleton

unplaced. The following year, however, Little-

ton, who had won a five-furlong trial on June j

12, captured the Trial Plate at Ascot. In the
autumn of that year he won in succession the
Great Tom Plate at Lincoln, the Derby Gold

Cup, and the Final Plate at Manchester. After Hi

Mr. Low’s death, Littleton, a good little horse :

with a nice turn of speed, was acquired by my _
friend Mr. Oscar W. Rayner, and has since

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 437

stood at Chieveley, a few miles from Newbury,
where Feather Bed keeps him company. There
have been several very useful winners by Littleton.

None of the Kingsclere horses distinguished
themselves in 1903. The total of stakes won
that year, £4319, was the smallest since 1876.
The chief contributor was Mr. Alexander’s colt,
Andover, a two-year-old by Right-away out of
Sister Lumley. He ran second to the smart
filly Barbette in the Gimcrack Stakes at York,
and won the Champion Breeders’ Foal Stakes at
Derby. At the end of the season he left Kings-
clere, along with Mr. Alexander’s other horses,
to be trained by Braime at Burbidge, and in 1905
won the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot.

The loss of Mr. Alexander’s patronage and
that of other owners at the same time was the
result of the establishment of the Kingsclere
stable on a new basis. The property was taken
over by a syndicate, the members of which were
the Dukes of Portland and Westminster, Mr. F.
Gretton and myself. The change was suggested
by the two Dukes. A limited liability company
was formed and registered under the name
“ Kingsclere, Limited.” The members of the
syndicate held equal shares. The company
bought Kingsclere from me. I undertook the
management of the company and continued to
act as trainer. The change involved the depar-
ture of the horses belonging to Mr. George

438 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Faber, Mr. W. Low, and Mr. F. Alexander.
The few horses Lord Alington and Sir Frederick
Johnstone had in training remained, and shortly
afterwards it was arranged that two or three
of Lord Crewe’s horses should also be accommo-
dated at Kingsclere; but apart from these the
boxes were at the disposal of the members of the
syndicate only.

In 1904 the chief contributors to a total of
£19,942 were the Duke of Portland’s Darley
Dale and Pamflete; the Duke of Westminster’s
Grey Plume and Rydal Head ; and the Earl of
Crewe’s Polymelus. Darley Dale was a three-
year-old colt by St. Simon out of Ismay, and
therefore brother to Simon Dale. He did not
run as a two-year-old ; in 1904 he started three
times. He made his first public appearance in
the Ascot Derby, which he won, beating King
Edward’s Chatsworth and four others, one of
them being Lord Hamilton of Dalzell’s Topiary,
who was afterwards bought by Mr. August
Belmont and became the dam of Tracery, by
Rock Sand. A trial on April 22 that year
resulted thus :

One Mile
Grey Plume, 3 yrs., 8 st. 2 1b... . Watts 1
Rydal Head, 3 yrs., 9 st.2 1b... - Cannon 2
Darley Dale, 3 yrs. 9 st. 2 lb... - Jones 3

Three others ran.
Won by two lengths: four lengths between second
and third.

? een, =
eee:

ee. 3

=<

TR nis Jee

See Set.

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 439

Nine days before this gallop Grey Plume had
won the Wood Ditton Stakes at Newmarket, and
then run second to Airlie in the Craven Stakes.
Rydal Head was unplaced in the Two Thousand
Guineas.

Before Ascot, on June 9, there was a trial,
the record of which reads:

One Mile and a Half

Percussion, 3 yrs., 7 st. 7 lb. .
Rydal Head, 3 yrs., 8 st. 12 Ib.
Count Hannibal, 3 yrs., 7 st. 7 lb. .
Darley Dale, 3 yrs., 8 st. 12 Ib.

mW N we

Won by a head; four lengths between second
and third; two lengths between third and fourth.

The same morning the following trial also took
place: aa,
Six Furlongs

Grey Plume, 3 yrs., 9 st. 10 Ib. -. M. Cannon 1
Polymelus, 2 yrs., 8 st.7 lb. . 4 Moreton 2
Pamflete, 2 yrs., 8 st.7 1b... . CC. Cannon 3

Won by a length; three lengths between second
and third.

At Ascot Grey Plume won the Trial Stakes ;
Polymelus ran second in the Triennial ; Pamflete
was third to Cicero and Vedas in the Coventry
Stakes ; Rydal Head won the Prince of Wales’s
Stakes ; and Darley Dale won the Ascot Derby.

Darley Dale was a nice horse, but not quite in
the top class. On July 15 he and Rydal Head

440 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

were placed respectively first and second in the

Fclipse Stakes of £10,000 at Sandown Park.

This was the third time I had saddled the first __

two horses in this event.

Polymelus was one of the few horses Lord

Crewe sent to me. He made his début at Ascot

in the Triennial, and ran second to Petit Bleu.

Then he was unplaced in the National Breeders’
Stakes at Sandown, won by Cicero. His first
success was gained at Goodwood, where he won
the Richmond Stakes. After running second in
Convivial Produce Stakes at York he won the
Rous Memorial at Newmarket. He was then
unplaced in the Imperial Produce Stakes at
Kempton and in the Middle Park Plate, but
wound up the season by winning the Criterion
Stakes at Newmarket.

As a three-year-old Polymelus ran eleven
times. He won the Triennial at Ascot (beating
Llangibby), the Durham County Produce Stakes,
the Duke of York Stakes at York, and the Gat-
wick Stakes. In three other races he finished
second and was once placed third. One of his
seconds was the St. Leger, in which Challacombe
beat him.

This was the last of him so far as I was con-
cerned, because I gave up training at the end of
1905. And it was also the end of him as far as
Lord Crewe was concerned, because he was,
before the next season came round, sold to Mr.

Ate a at

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 441

David Faber. He remained in that gentleman’s
possession only until the following September.
On the morning of the 27th of that month he
was offered for sale at Newmarket. The two
chief bidders for him were Mr. Sol Joel and
Frank Hartigan, the trainer. The latter had, it
was stated, a limit of 4000 guineas, but when
this sum was eventually offered by Mr. Joel,
Hartigan, after a little hesitation, bid another
hundred. Mr. Somerville Tattersall then turned
to Mr. Joel, who, however, seemed disinclined
to go on. Mr. Tattersall pointed out that the
horse was going much too cheaply, and then
added: ‘“‘ He has a chance in the Jockey Club
Stakes this afternoon, and will probably win the
Duke of York Stakes at Kempton on his second
to Aurum II. in the Prince Edward Handicap at
Manchester.’’ ‘“‘ Yes, perhaps so,’ replied Mr.
Joel; “but they won’t let you bet on him.”
“ But,” came the rejoinder, ‘‘ he may also win
the Cambridgeshire, and then you will be able

to bet as much as you like.” The upshot was

that Mr. Joel made another bid. The moment
he did so Hartigan walked away from the ring,
and Mr. Joel became the owner of Polymelus at
4200 guineas.

And a rare bargain he made. The son of
Cyllene failed in the Jockey Club Stakes, but
justified Mr. Tattersall’s prophecy by winning

the Duke of York Handicap in a canter by five

442 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

lengths, and then carried a 10 lb. penalty to
victory in the Cambridgeshire, for which, at 11
to 10, he started the hottest favourite in the
history of the race. At the stud Polymelus has
of course been a conspicuous success. Bred by
Lord Crewe, he was a horse with beautiful action,
but during the time he was at Kingsclere I never —
had him quite to my satisfaction. More often
than not he was “staring” in his coat—a sure
sign that all is not as it should be.

- Polymelus in 1905 won £5685 of the total of
£8301 : 10s. credited to my horses that year.
Plum Centre accounted for £2025. He belonged
to Lord Alington and Sir Frederick Johnstone.
Sir Frederick had joined the Kingsclere stable in
the time of Sir Joseph Hawley, and here he was
with me to the very end. During all those years
our relations were always of the most amicable
character, and I am sure our long association
was severed with mutual regret. On October
24, 1905, Polymelus won the Gatwick Stakes.
He was the last of the long list of winners trained
at Kingsclere during my time there.

Towards the end of 1905 I came to the
conclusion it was time I relieved myself of the
anxieties incidental to a trainer’s life. I had
been “in harness” forty-two years, dating from —
the time when I became allied with the fortunes —
of Sir Joseph Hawley. Moreover, experience ©
had proved to me that the emoluments I received

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 443

as a trainer merely provided sufficient to live
upon. ‘There was no surplus to put in the bank.
Any money I have saved has come to me in the
form of presents from my patrons and as the
result of fortunate speculations in bloodstock. If
I had been a betting man I might, perhaps, have
acquired wealth. On the other hand, I might
not! Betting never appealed to me.

The Kingsclere Syndicate, as constituted in
1903, was brokenup. Mr. Gretton and I sold our
shares to the Dukes of Portland and Westminster,
who appointed William Waugh my successor.

Naturally, I experienced a pang of regret
when the day arrived on which I quitted Park
House, with the inception and development of
which I had been so closely associated. Apart
from the wrench of leaving the home invested
with so many happy and tender memories, there
was the parting with the Kingsclere friends with
whom I had lived and worked for the social and
material welfare of the village. The separation
was not, however, then to be as pronounced as
it afterwards became, for I bought a property
called Strattons, two miles or so along the road
to Newbury. There I had some paddocks in
which I was able to keep two or three brood
mares, and these, together with other interests,
kept me active.

A scheme over which I had long pondered

now began to assume more definite shape—that

444 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

of forming a racecourse on the outskirts of
Newbury. Many and many a time, when travel-
ling by rail between Newbury and London, I had
cast covetous glances at the level stretch of land
immediately to the south of the railway, and
within half a mile of Newbury station. It
always seemed to me an ideal situation for a
racecourse. When I thought of the large number
of training stables within a radius of a few miles
—those at Lambourn, Wantage, IIsley, East
Wiltshire, and North Hampshire—I convinced
myself that the enterprise I had in mind was
sure to be a success.

The land I wanted belonged to Mr. Lloyd H.
Baxendale, of Greenham. Having decided that
I would endeavour to convert my ideas into
tangible form, I approached the owner, and
found him willing to sell. My next step was to
have sketch plans and particulars prepared.
Armed with these I boldly approached the Jockey
Club with a view to securing a provisional
licence. They were not as ready to approve my
scheme as I had hoped; indeed, they applied to
it a liberal douche of cold water. The chief
objection raised was that there was already a
sufficient number of racecourses in England.
My arguments to the contrary did not seem
to convince the Stewards, and I had to come

away without receiving a definite answer to my

application.

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LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 445

This interview took place in the Jockey Club
Rooms at Newmarket. When I got outside I
happened to meet King Edward.

‘*“Hullo! Porter,” he exclaimed, ‘‘ what have
you been after ?”’

“ve been trying, your Majesty, to sudlaada
the Stewards of the Jockey Club to grant me a
licence for a racecourse at Newbury.”’

“And what do they say?”

“They think there are already as many
meetings as are required, and they have not yet

given a definite answer.”

“Are those the plans you have under your
arm ?”’

“Yes, sir.”

“Then come and see me in the morning, and
bring them with you.”

The interest which the King thus manifested
in the venture cheered me very much. I duly
kept my appointment with his Majesty, explained
to him the plans, and expounded the details of
the scheme so far as they had been worked out.
When I left I felt I had secured a powerful ally.

My next interview with the Jockey Club
Stewards was conducted in a very friendly
atmosphere, and I got the licence without further
trouble. Possibly the way was made all the
easier for me because just at that time the
Northampton Meeting was on its last legs ; its
abandonment had, in fact, been announced.

446 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

I now proceeded to get an option on the land
on which the proposed racecourse was to be
made, and the terms of purchase were soon
satisfactorily arranged. A promoting syndicate
was next organised. In this I was joined by
Mr. Baxendale. When in due course the com-
pany was formed the shares were not offered to
the public, but were readily placed privately, big
“blocks ” being taken by the Duke of West-
minster, Lord Howard de Walden, Sir Ernest
Cassel, Mr. J. Musker, Mr. Buchanan, and other
gentlemen. Everybody I approached gave their
support very readily, and we soon got all the
money required. I am happy to say that those
who supported me have had no cause to regret
their action, because from the first a steady
dividend has been paid.

When the Newbury racecourse scheme began
to take shape, I sold Strattons and bought my
present home at Newbury, which, in honour of
the greatest horse I or any one else ever trained,
I called “Ormonde House.” In my capacity
as managing director of the racecourse my time
was pretty fully occupied, especially while it was

in the construction stage. From the first I

determined that we would strive to the utmost
to provide the best racecourse to be found in
England. The praise bestowed on the results
of our efforts convinced us we had almost, if not
quite, succeeded.

LAST YEARS AT KINGSCLERE 447

From the outset the racing at Newbury
enjoyed a large measure of popularity. So much
so, indeed, that before many months had elapsed
we had to enlarge the accommodation for the
public. Never a year has passed—except during
the war—without some structural improvement
being made, the cost always being easily met out
of the revenue. I take advantage of this oppor-
tunity gratefully to acknowledge the splendid
way in which the Great Western Railway
Directors supported us. By fulfilling their
undertaking to construct a racecourse station
and run special trains from Paddington to
Newbury within the hour—the distance is prac-
tically fifty-three miles—and at a first-class fare
of ten shillings return, they virtually ensured
the success of our venture. I trust I shall not be
thought unduly boastful when I state that the
Newbury Racecourse is an accomplishment of
which I am intensely proud.

Let me close on a personal note. The wife
who had been my constant helpmate and com-
panion and a devoted mother to my children
since the days when I was at Findon, passed to
her long rest in 1902. Two years later I married
Miss Pilsbury. I humbly give thanks to God
for the happiness that has been vouchsafed to me
in my home life.

WINNERS TRAINED BY JOHN PORTER
CLASSIFIED UNDER THEIR OWNERS

The dates in parentheses following the names of the horses are those of
the years in which the animals won their races while trained by John
Porter. In some cases, of course, the horses won other races either before
coming to, or after leaving, Kingsclere. No account is here taken of those
additional successes,

Races Won. Value.

SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY’S

CoLUMBA (1863), b.f. by Charleston NGA | £710
WASHINGTON (1863-4), ch.c. by Charleston . 3 800
St. ALEXIS (1863), br.g. by Stockwell I 770
Merry WIFE (1864), b.f. by Beadsman I 50
BEDMINSTER (1864), b.c. by Newminster 2 1,700
WOoLDGA (1864), b.c. by West Australian I 635
(CARYOPHYLLUS (1865), b.c. by Beadsman I 50
CALLIPOLIS (1865), ch.f. by Charleston I 100
ARGONAUT (1865), b.h. by Stockwell . 3 3,210
ARAPEILE (1866), bl.f. by Beadsman Ba 1,050
PALMER, THE (1866-8), b.c. by Beadsman . 10 4,635
Rep SHoEs (1866), b.c. by Beadsman . Stn 50
Star, THE (1866), br.c. by Gemma di Vergy 1 225
BiuEe Gown (1867-9), b.c. by Beadsman . 19 13,162
GREEN SLEEVE (1867), b.f. by Beadsman . 2 55435
ROSICRUCIAN (1867-71), b.c. by Beadsman . 12 6,230
VABALATHUS (1867), br.h. by Lambton I 50
SATYR (1867-8), ch.c. by Marsyas 2 1,040
CoTYTTO (1867), br.f. by Musjid I 800
Morna (1868-9), b.f. by Beadsman 5 2,950
PERO GOMEZ (1868-9), b.c. by Beadsman 8 15,570

451

452 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Fakir (1868), b.g. by Musjid

ASTEROPE (1869), b.f. by Asteroid

Kinc CopPHETuA (1869), b.c. by Asteroid
SIDEROLITE (1869-70), b.c. by Asteroid
LicTor (1869-70), b.c. by Lambton
VAGABOND (1869), br.g. by Musjid

WalF (1869-70), br.f. by Thormanby .
Daisy QUEEN (1870), ch.f. by Asteroid
PANDORE (1870), b.f. by Newminster .
ALAVA (1871-73), b.c. by Asteroid.
BETHNAL GREEN (1871-2), bl.c. by Beadaman.
DERELICT (1871), br.f. by Tim Whiffler
Goura (1872), b.f. by Beadsman é
FONTARABIAN (1872-3), ch.c. by Fitz-Roland
Racusa (1872), b.f. by Fitz-Roland
POLYHYMNIA (1873), b.f. by Asteroid .

aac ee ee

al
Lal
wn

Races Won. Value. 4

£65

1,850

75:4
23250 :

1,065

a
150

100
650

230 |
170 —

£69557

SIR JOSEPH HAWLEY and SIR F. JOHNSTONE’S

X1 (1867-9), b.c. by General Williams. °

MR. T. E. WALKER’S

VICTOR (1873), b.c. by Victorious

TAPIOCA (1873), ch.f. by Macaroni.

Mor Ton Bacor (1873), bl.h. by Master Bagot
Frrst WATER (1873), ch.c. by Flaxman
Bank NOTE (1874), ch.g. by Lecturer .
Novar (1874), b.c. by Scottish Chief .
HeRMIA (1878-9), br.f. by Hermit
ELIZABETH (1879), b.f. by Statesman .

MR. F. GRETTON’S
Goursti (1873-4), b.h. by West Australian .
LitTLe Boy BLUE (1874-5), b.c. by Macaroni
GranD DucuEss (1874), br.f. by The Duke .

de)

coal
eee wears

£1,880

£200 -
130 4
140 |
40
370
1,075
589
813

£39357

£150
235

134

APPENDIX 453
Races Won. Value.
LarRD OF GLENORCHY (1875), ch.c. by
Breadalbane Meee | £170
ALGARSYFE (1875), ch.c. be Caabyecans I 190
Douro (1875), ch.c. by The Duke I 100
Bank NOTE (1874-7), ch.g. by Lecturer 5 470
CHESTER (1875), b.c. by Macaroni 2 200
Novar (1875), b.c. by Scottish Chief . poke 50
LaDy ATHOLSTONE ae ch.m. ss Blair
Athol ‘ wee 580
PrBROCH (1876), ch.c. be Blair Athol . I 50
PAGEANT (1876-8), b.g. by Elland 8 45933
KINGSCLERE (1876-7), b.c. by Lord Clifden. 3 §20
Domipuca (1876), br.f. by The Miner 2 190
COLLEGIAN (1876), ch.c. by Oxford eh 210
Joun Knox (1876), br.c. by Scottish Chief . 1 85
ScoTcH REEL (1876), ch.f. by Scottish Chief 2 116
RETROSPECT (1876), b.c. by Speculum I 50
MAcaDaAM (1876-7), ch.c. by Young Monarque 3 310
ALGEBRA (1876), br.h. by The Duke . 3 200
DovEDALE (1877), b.m. by Beadsman . 2 230
SINGLETON (1877-8), b.c. by The Duke 7 1,119
Monk (1877-9), ch.c. by Hermit ; 3 605
SULEIMAN (1877-8), br.h. by Knight of the
Crescent . i we 225
SAMARIA (1877), b.f. by Martytdons 3 330
ALAMEDA (1877), br.f. by Pero Gomez 2 360
HARBINGER (1877-8), b.c. by Pero Gomez 3 1,090
Rep HazarD (1877-9), b.c. by Rosicrucian . 5 15945
SisTER Louise (1877), b.f. by Scottish Chief 1 100
IsonoMy (1877-8), b.c. by Sterling 10 10,382
CREMATION (1877-8), br.c. by Victorious 3 412
MonTe Caro (1877), br.c. by ee
Trumpeter. 2 240
HeERMIA (1878-9), br. f. by Flevinté I 147
REMoRSE (1878), b.f. by Hermit. 2 202
DuNKERRY (1878), ch.g. by Julius 5 1504.7
La G1TAna (1878), b.f. by Julius 2 285
ANTIENT PisToL (1878-80), br.c. by Master

Fenton : ‘ Pa, 1,434
PHILOMEL (1878), br. f. by Nunehdm j ry 100

454 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Races Won. Value,
KNIGHT OF THE Cross (1878), bl.c. by Rosi-

crucian . I fro2
ROSALIND (1878-80), be. by Rescind 9 1439
ADMIRAL, THE (1878), ch.c. by Sterling I 110
ErFFiz Deans (1878), b.f. by Strathconan I 350 By
FRYISH (1878), ch.c. by Thunderbolt . I 190
RYEGRASS (1878), ch.f. by Wild Oats . I 145
SOLOMON (1879), br.h. by Solon. : I 500
Dominica (1879), ch.f. by Nuneham . 4 604
CAIRNGORM (1879), ch.c. by Strathconan .- 1 100
WESTBOURNE (1879), b.c. by Oxford or The ;

Duke i 3 1,212
CuIos (1879), oh. ei by endbasi 3 537
LEAD ON (1879), br.c. by The Duke . I 117 9
AMBER WITCH (1880), b.f. by Nuneham I 544
PRESTONPANS (1880), b.c. by Prince Charlie I 800,
FERNANDEZ (1880), b.c. by Sterling I 748
GEOLOGIST (1880), br.c. by Sterling I 327 a
ZETLINGER (1880), b.c. by Sterling I 100.
SIDERAL (1881), br.h. by Siderolite . eit oS 382
EMINENCE (1882), br.g. by Cardinal York . 1 167

145 £37,670

£897
362
659 an
202 aa
100
489
100
100
128
102
847
110
102
3t5
177 Mt

MR. JOHN GRETTON’S
JUPITER (1878-80), br.c. by Thunderbolt
DRAYCOTT (1879-81), ch.f. by Nuneham
LANJARON (1879-80), bl.f. by Nuneham ,
Miss SHARPE (1879-80), br.f. by Nuneham .
Crp, THE (1880-1), br.c. by Nuneham
MaRTINIQUE (1880), bl.f. by Nuneham
POMERANIA (1880), br.c. by Nuneham.
WATERMARK (1880), br.c. by Playfair .
ALHENDIN (1881), br.f. by Nuneham .
CABALLO (1881), ch.c. by Nuneham
GuapDIx (1881), bl.f. by Nuneham
HENLEY (1882-4), bl.c. by Nuneham . ‘
CHESTNUT FILLY (1882), by Nuneham-Saga
ZORILA (1882), ch.f. by Nuneham ‘
REMEMBER (1882), b.c. by Sterling
LOCKSLEY (1883), b.c. by Brown Bread

eH NSH HH PH eH HH BR VY HH NWW NWN

APPENDIX
Races Won,

ST. MarTIN (1884), br.c. by Nuneham I
PTOLEMY (1884-5), b.c. by Nuneham . 3
CINTRA (1885), b.f. by Isonomy . I
ROSALIND (1885), ch.f. by Nuneham I
EMSCOTE (1886), ch.c. by Nuneham I
MIGUEL (1888), bl.c. by Fernandez I
APOLLO (1888), br.c. by Hampton 2
GONSALVO (1890-1), b.c. by Fernandez 4
GROAT (1891), b.f. by Plebeian . I
ROSALIA (1891-2), b.f. by Fernandez 3
Bay FILLy (1894), by Apollo—Rosalind I
Kos (1894), b.f. by Melanion . , I
Bap TIMES (1895), b.f. by Fernandez . me
ALLESBY (1898-9), b.c. by Royal Hampton. 2
Et CaPiTAN (1899), b.c. by Miguel I

55

MR. JOHN PORTER’S

Monk (1879-80), ch.c. by Hermit

MEADOW SWEET (1883), b.f. by Springfield .

CLIPPER (1884), ch.f. by Doncaster
Kinc’s Cross (1887), ch.c. by Childeric
Mon Droit (1887), ch.f. by Isonomy.
EMILY JANE (1889), ch.f. by Barcaldine
Bev Jones (1891), ch.c. by Thurio
GOLDEN MAZE (1891), ch.f. by Bend Or
ADDERLEY (1894), ch.f. by Ayrshire .
Amy ROBERTS (1894), br.f. by Kilwarlin
CHINKARA (1895), b.f. by Galopin

Bue Dun (1896), ch.c. by Queen’s oninel
CELADA (1897), ch.f. by Morion .
HAWFINCH (1897), ch.c. by Goldfinch
No Foot (1897), b.c. by Wiseman

ST. JESSICA (1897), b.f. by St. Symphorien .
CROWBOROUGH (1898-1900), b.f. by Crowberry

MERCENARY (1899), b.f. by Janissary .

Countess HELENA (1901), ch.f. by St. Aawild

ee

34

455

Value.
£102
1,137

100
197
147
35°
357
2,065
102
300
100
895
100
319
100

£11,698

£456
102

102
294
2,657
102
489
467
435
246
222
471
484
1,297
1,183
100
1,025
136
170

£10,438

456 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Races Won, Value. —
SIR ROBERT JARDINE and MR. PORTER’S

SAINFOIN (1889-90), ch.c. by Springfield . 2 £1,389
SIR F. JOHNSTONE and MR. PORTER’S

MELI MELo (1895), ch.f. by Melanion dis £552
EARL OF STAMFORD’S
CENSER (1880-2), b.g. by See Saw 4 £643
Groby (1881), b.c. by Pero Gomez 2 257
ROSEBUD (1881), b.f. by Pero Gomez . 4 712
GEHEIMNISS (1881-2), br.f. by Rosicrucian . 7 6,789
DIscOUNT (1881), ch.c. by Sterling I 185
Post OBIT (1881), br.c. by Sterling . I
INCOGNITA (1881-2), b.f. by Winslow . 4 15473
Pansy (1881), b.f. by Winslow . ; I 100
RAVISSANTE (1882), br.f. by Clanronald I 210
ELIACIN (1882), b.c. by Parnasse, y 3 398
REVERSE, THE (1882), br.c. by Pero Ccainin: I 138
PosTE RESTANTE (1882), br.h. by Sterling . 1 260
Gop MasTER (1882), br.c. by Rosicrucian. 1 210
3 «= £11,962
LORD B. PAGET’S
MOKANNA (1881), b.c. by Adventurer . . ae £254
LORD ALINGTON and SIR F. JOHNSTONE’S
WEDLOCK ! (1881), br.f. by Wenlock . ons os
SIREN (1882-4), br.f. by Cremorne. a £227
ST. BLAIsE (1882-3), ch.c. by Hermit . 7 8,337
GEHEIMNISS (1883-4), br.f. by Rosicrucian . 11 49307
SPECTRUM (1883), br.c. by Speculum . I 102
LuMINARY (1884-5), br.c. by Beauclerc the 4,656
MATCH GIRL (1884), b. or br.f. by Plebeian 2 75°
MERRY THOUGHT (1885), b.f. by Hilarious. 1 172
Pampas Grass (1885), b.f. by See Saw I 157
CANDLEMAS (1886-8), b.c. by Hermit . 5 45593
KINGFISHER (1886-9), b.c. by Heron . 4 1,502

1 Ran a dead heat in a match.

587

APPENDIX

457

Races Won. Value.

PENELOPE (1886), b.f. by Shifnal

SPoT (1886-7), ch.c. by Springfield

POLYNESIA (1887), b.f. by Barcaldine .

SpuD (1887), ch.f. by Hampton . .

FriAr’s BALsAM (1887-8), ch.c. by Hermit .

QUEEN ANNE (1887), b.f. by Heron

THE SHREW (1887), b.f. by Springfield

DoT LeT (1888), br.f. by Chippendale .

StMONIA (1888), ch.f. by Peter . ;

KINGSCOTE (1889), b.c. by Childeric .

ToucH-ME-NoT (1889), ch.f. by Muncaster

BENA (1889-90), b.f. by Petrarch

TICKLE (1889), b. or br.f. by Touchet

DespoT (1890), b.c. by Althotas or Zealot .

Fuse (1890), ch.f. by Bend Or , é

HusBANDMAN (1890), __ ch.c. " George
Frederick . / , P

Bacu (1891), b.c. by iiauitinn .

CoMMON (1891), br.c. by Isonomy

GOLDFINCH (1891), ch.c. by Ormonde.

PoLYGLoT (1891), ch.c. by Bend Or .

MartcuHsox (1893), b.c. by St. Simon .

Kenny (1894), b.f. by Marden

RUuSINA (1894), ch.f. by Beaudesert

THROSTLE (1894), b.f. by Petrarch

MATCHMAKER (1895), b.c. by Donovan

Le Var (1895), b.c. by Isonomy. p ‘

RoyaL CorRRIE (1895-8), b.c. by Royal
Hampton . ‘ . 4 ‘

PIETY (1895), ch.c. by Satiety

VESUVIAN (1896-7), b.c. by Royal Hampton,

ZARABANDA (1896-7), br.f. by Saraband

Arr Gun (1897), br.f. by Ayrshire

BUTTER (1897), b.c. by Springfield

HERALD (1902), ch.g. by Straiton

Lonc Tom (1902), br.c. by Ladas

You Go OFF (1903), ch.f. by Sir Hugo

PLuM CENTRE (1905), ch.c. by Persimmon .

Ss HRW HH SH NY HU HH CO HR HW ew

es PW Fr DW FH DN BP we

£152
1,217
102
197
9737
237
1,785
147
427
22997
102
1,522
102
100
1,800

100
294
15,960
2464
593
53958
742
147
72925
43505
8,995

1,037
462
3,067
918
100
2,133
100
too
F dele)
2,025

£103,152

458 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Races Won. Value. 4
DUKE OF WESTMINSTER’S

COLUMBINE (1882), b.f. by Doncaster . : ee £102 ie
GOLSPIE (1882), b.f. by Doncaster. of 200,
SHOTOVER (1882), ch.f. by Hermit. Je8 12,205
WHIPPER-IN (1882-6), ch.c. by Hermit se 55584
INCENDIARY (1882-3), ch.h. by King Lud . 3 381
CANDAHAR (1882), b.c. by Scottish Chief . 1 150
SANDIWAY (1883-5), ch.f. by Doncaster II 7,981
DUKE OF RICHMOND (1883-4), b.c. by :
Hampton . : , 2,082
SPECTRE (1883), b.f. by Speculum 720
PAN (1883), b.c. by Sterling 393
WHEATSHEAF (1884), b.f. by Adler 250
CAMBUSMORE (1884-6), b.c. by Doncaster 4,758
DONATELLO (1884), b.c. by Doncaster . 341
FAREWELL (1884-5), ch.f. by Doncaster 4,055

THIRLMERE (1884), ch.f. by Doncaster
WHITE NUN (1884), b.f. by Hermit
KENDAL (1885), ch.c. by Bend Or_
ORMONDE (1885-7), b.c. by Bend Or .
NEWTON (1885), br.c. by FitzJames
METAL (1885), b. or br.c. by Sterling .

102 @
325
4053 |
28,465 —
1,472)
861

_

tH HMw DH P DOH NWN DAH W HF BF DW DAAwe HF NNN FB HH DS

FREEDOM (1886), ch.f. by Bend Or 950
CoRACLE (1886), bl.c. by Hermit ; 528
WHITEFRIAR (1886), ch.c. by Hermit . 932
STEEL (1886), bl.c. by Sterling . 167
ORBIT (1887-8), ch.c. by Bend Or 12,679 _
Ossory (1887-8), ch.c. by Bend Or 53358
SAVILE (1887), br.c. by Hampton 15334

ST. MIRIN (1887), br.c. by Hermit 1,250
FLEUR DE Lys (1888), b.f. by Bend Or 950
ORMUZ (1888-92), ch.c. by Bend Or . 3,004
RYDAL (1888), ch.f. by Bend Or. 920
DoRNOCH (1888), b.c. by Sterling 157
BEN STROME (1889), b.c. by Bend Or. 249
ORWELL (1889-90), b.c. by Bend Or . j 1,683 ay
BLUE-GREEN (1889-92), br.c. by Cceruleus . 32742
LOZENGE (1889), b.f. by St. Simon 196
ADIEU (1890), b.c. by St. Simon 430 |
ORION (1890-1), ch.c. by Bend Or 32440

APPENDIX

Races Won.

Grace Conroy (1891), b.f. by Esterling
ORME (1891-3), b.c. by Ormonde

BuNBURY (1892), b.c. by Isonomy ;
MINERA (1892), b.f. by Hermit or Galopin .
BULLINGDON (1893-4), b.c. by Melton.
CAYENNE (1894), ch.c. by Pepper and Salt
JOYFUL (1894), b.c. by Galopin .

KissInG Cup (1894), b.f. by Hampton
TARPORLEY (1894), b.c. by St. Simon .
RAMPION (1895), ch.c. by Amphion
CAMPION (1895), b.c. by Bend Or

HELM (1895-6), b.f. by Morion . ‘
Grey LEG (1895), gr.c. by Pepper and Salt.
OMLADINA (1895-6), br.f. by Royal Hampton
HARTFORD (1895), b.c. by St. Serf :
BaDDILEY (1895), b.c. by Sheen .

LABRADOR (1895-7), br.c. by Sheen

REGRET (1895-6), b.c. by Sheen.
ATTAINMENT (1895), b.f. by Wisdom .
Conroy (1896), b.c. by Bend Or

SHADDOCK (1896), b.c. by St. Serf

SIMOON (1896), b.f. by St. Simon

BaTT (1897-8), br.c. by Sheen . ‘
BLUE WATER (1897), b.f. by Blue-Green
GUERNSEY (1897), br.c. by Bend Or

Low Moor (1897), ch.h. by Swillington
ORPAH (1897-8), ch.f. by Orme .

AMEER (1898), b.c. by Orme

CALVELEY (1898), b.c. by St. Serf

CoLar (1898), b.c. by St. Simon ;
FLYING Fox (1898-9), b.c. by Orme .
FRONTIER (1898-9), ch.c. by Orme,
PrINCcEss Mary (1898), b.f. by Bend Or
VANE (1899), b.f. by Orme.

Goop Luck (1899), ch.g. by Royal Hampton
GOBLET (1899), br.c. by Grey Leg

LORD GROSVENOR’S

REPRIEVE (1883), b.f. by Queen’s Messenger.

I

os Leal
oe es ee ee

240

5

459

Value.
£460
32,526
274
224
32539
556
471
1,790
39437
580
194
49377
1,070
3,886
919
560
99315
39343
45°
1,125
52852
300
32318
400
495
45°
863
967
3,692
2,872
40,096
2,717
600
400
1,171
1,214

£246,944

£4,189

460 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Races Won. Value.
CAPTAIN BAYLEY’S

RAKER, THE (1883), b.f. by Scottish Chief. 2 £228

LORD DOWNE’S
HARMATTAN (1884), b.c. by Kisber_ . 35% £989

MR. BRODRICK CLOETE’S

CHERRY (1884), ch.f. by Sterling é hf £4777
PARADOX (1884-5), b.c. by Sterling . a+y6 145413

9 £19,190

EARL OF PORTSMOUTH’S

GULEs (1885), b.c. by Tomahawk . ove £152
BROWN FILLY (1889), by Standard—Bryony. 1 100
TABLEAUX VIVANT (1890), b.c. by Trappist I 147

3 £399

EARL SPENCER’S

CoBBLER (1886), b.c. by Pedometer . Mites £102

H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES’ (afterwards Kinc
EpwarpD VII.)

COUNTERPANE (1886), ch.f. by Hermit I £195
Lapy Prccy (1886), ch.f. by Hermit . 1 102
GALLIFET (1889), ch.c. by Energy I 102
SHAMROCK II. (1889), ch.c. by Petrarch I 102
NANDINE (1890), b.f. by Wisdom I 157
PIERETTE (1890-1), b.f. by Mask ; 5 1,877
BaRRACOUTA (1891), b.f. by Barcaldine I 1,065
CounTy COUNCIL (1891), ch.c. by Isonomy. 1 550
Imp, THE (1890), b.c. by Robert the Devil. 3 1,194
VERSAILLES (1892), b.c. by Hampton . yale 15234
ViGIL, THE (1892), b. or br.f. by Ben Battle 1 190

18 £6,768

APPENDIX 461

Races Won. Value.
CAPTAIN BOWLING’S

Deva (1886), b.f. by Rosicrucian I £102
Carrasco (1886-7), b.c. by Speculum. 3 1,299
4 - £1,401
SIR J. T. MACKENZIE’S
UpsET (1886-9), br. or bl.c. by See Saw 7 £2,999
LorD ARTHUR (1886), b.c. by The Duke . 1 310
SAINT, THE (1889), ch.c. by Peter 2 1,480
KELPIE, THE (1889), b.f. by Robert the Devil I 292
CLOUDBERRY (1890), b.f. by Macheath I 620
IMP, THE (1891), b.c. by Robert the Devil. 1 25700
13 £8,401
MR. W. LOW’S

HALL Mark (1887-8), ch.f. by Sterling 2 £202
Gay HaMPTON (1888-9), b.c. by Hampton. 3 2,832
BLANTON (1888), ch.c. by Mask . 2 249
NAPOLEON (1889), br.c. by Galopin I 365
MystTErRY (1889), ch.f. by Muncaster . 2 247
RIGHT-AWAY (1889-90), b.c. by Wisdom 6 25554
STAR OF ERIN (1889), b.f. by Master Kildare 1 500
GonE COON (1890 and 1892), b.c. by Galopin 5 1,933
PATROL (1890), br.c. by Galopin 2 205
PROFIT (1892-4), br.f. by Wisdom 5 1,411

RoyaL Dovuctas (1892), b.g. by Royal
Hampton . : 2 200
TRAPEZOID (1892), chi . By Trappist ; I 144
LIEBERSHEDE (1893), ch.f. by Hampton I 200
GoLF JUAN (1893), b.c. by Peter I 100
i} GARTER QUEEN (1894), ch.f. by Bend Or I 830
| ZEBAC (1895-6), b.c. by Galopin 9 4,493
i KILKERRAN (1896), br.c. by Ayrshire . I 475
ST. Bris (1896-7), b.c. by St. Simon 3 2,905
HERMISTON (1897-8), b.c. by Right-away 5 545
Sans TACHE (1897), ch.f. by Right-away I 182

‘| WINSOME CHARTERIS re ch.f. by
: Bend Or . ‘ , j that 1,125

Races Won, Valuc. ll

EsMERALDA II. (1898), b.f. by Right-away. 1 £100 ae
Mark For’arD (1898), b.c. by Right-away. 2 1,257
RHOMBOID (1899), b.c. by Martagon . byt 100
ELOPEMENT (1899-1900), br.c. by Right-away 5 33558
LITTLETON (1903), b.c. by Right-away I 720
PRINCESIMMON (1903), br.c. by Persimmon . 1 100
67 £26,532 ie

MR. Y. R. GRAHAM’S
LANOLIN (1889), b.c. by Privilege

£112 q )

MR. MARCUS DALY’S
INVERNESS (1890), ch.c. by Cymbal . ae | £595

SIR JAMES MILLER’S
SAINFOIN (1890), ch.c. by Springfield . aos es £6,501

MR. FRANCIS ALEXANDER’S

THrowaway (1901-2), b.c. by Right-away .
Part MALT (1902-3), b.f. by Deuce of Clubs
ANDOVER (1903), br.c. by Right-away
BITTERS (1903), br.f. by St. Serf ‘

2,169
277 =
955 .
185

SNAFFLE (1884), b.c. by Childeric. . I £217
CANADA (1890), b.f. by Robert the Devil I 100
Lunar Ec LiPsE (1890-1), b.c. by Xenophon 3 732
MEROVEE (1892), b. or br.c. by Charibert I 100
Son OF A GUN (1894), b.c. by Petronel 2 2,000
THEALE (1896), b.f. by Donovan I 100
MANDOoRLA (1897), b.f. by Hampton . I 201
QuasstIA (1898-1900), b.f. by Blue-Green 5 1,134
SOLENNIS (1898-9), ch.c. by Lourdes . ‘xpos 888
Wo tr’s Hope (1898), br.c. by Wolf’s Crag . 3 761
AssBoTT’s ANNE (1901), br.f. by Right-away 4 1,886

4

2

I

I

33

£11,705

APPENDIX

. Races Won,
_ BARON HIRSCH’S
Rose pu Barry (1890), b.f. by Pursebearer. 3
RoMANEE (1890), br.f. by Galopin Wy i
La FLECHE (1891-2), br.f. by St. Simon . 12
MAssACRE (1891-2), ch.c. by Muncaster . 6
VASISTAS (1891-2), b.h. by Idus . 4
WINDGALL (1891-2), b.c. by Galliard . Aci
HIGHLAND Buck (1892), bec, by ree
Chief ‘ I
Poppa (1892), ch.f. by Mask , I
RoyYAL ScoT (1892), ch.c. by Rosebery I
WATERCRESS (1892), br.c. by Springfield . 3
MatTcuBox (1894), b.c. by St. Simon . 3

39

_ LORD WILLIAM BERESFORD’S
CATARINA (1892), ch.f. by Poulet ; ala

- COLONEL PAGET’S
; OVERCAST (1892), b.c. by Ossian ; TENG

- LORD MARCUS BERESFORD’S

Simon DE MOoNTFORT (1892), br.c. by St.
Simon ; ‘ : ; . SRE |

LORD CREWE’S

ORMEAU (1899), ch.c. by Orme . ? ey
SainT Lunp1 (1899-1900), b.f. by St. Serf . 5
ST. Amour (1901), b.c. by St. Serf I
FOLKLORE (1901), ch.f. by Donovan at ee |
POLYMELUS (1904-5), b.c. by Cyllene . ph ae
Mar LIiAcEA (1905), b.f. by Martagon . I

6

4.63

Value.

£871
512
29,068
605
1,626

52129

117
100
441

4,106

1,656

£44,231

£180

£136

£436

£400
1,969
450
100
8,028
192

£11,139

464 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Races Won. Value.
DUKE OF PORTLAND’S

DisMAY (1899), b.c. by St. Simon I £225
La ROCHE (1899), b.f. by St. Simon . 5 8,976
MANNERS (1899), b.c. by St. Simon 2 25785
ST. VIGILA (1899), b.f. by St. Simon . She 187
StMON DALE (1899-1900), br.c. by St. Simon 3 32950
LATHERONWHEEL (1899), b.c. by Sheen I 395
WANTAGE (1899), b.g. by Sheen . 2 223
La Force (1901), b.f. by St. Simon I 850
MANNLICHER (1901-2), br.c. by Carbine 2 763
ST. ALDEGONDE (1go1), b.f. by St. Simon . 1 1,050
Racinc Cup (1901), br.f. by Grey Leg 2 740

WILLIAM THE THIRD (1901-2), b.c. by St.
Simon : 10 139577
Sr Epcar (1901), te c. by Kendal ‘ I 707
FriaR TUCK (1902), br.c. by Friar’s Balsam. 4 25583
~ GREATOREX (1902), b.c. by Carbine . 2 2,150
ScriBE, THE (1903-4), b.c. by Isinglass 2 562
BRAUNEBERG (1903), br.c. by Ladas_ . I 177
Dar.eY DALE (1904), b.c. by St. Simon 2 10,410
PAMFLETE (1904), b.f. by St. Simon 4 2564
ST. OSWALD (1905), b.c. by St. Simon I 535
48 = £53,409

MR. GEORGE FABER’S

LoveITE (1901), br.f. by St. Frusquin. 2 £2,850
PIETERMARITZBURG (1901), b.c. by St. Simon 3 8,853
Ick MAIDEN (1901-2), b.f. by Kendal . 3 1,761
RaFT, THE (1902), ch.h. by Orme I 462
DUKE OF WESTMINSTER (1903), b.c. by Orme I 920
10 £14,846

DUKE OF WESTMINSTER’S (Grandson of Ormonde’s

owner)
Far Best (1901), b.f. by Best Man. + ae £167
Grey Brrp (1901), gr.c. by Grey Leg. Phew 177

ST. BENET (1901), b.c. by Bend Or . mA 759

a
Pal

APPENDIX 465

Races Won, Value,

Fryinc Lemur (1902), b.c. by Orme . I £15325
Just CAUSE (1902), b.c. by Best Man. I 177
; Grey PLUME (1903-4), gr.c. by Grey Leg . 4 2,055
PoLypDorE (1904), b.c. by Orme. ; awe 197
2 DappLe Grey (1904-5), gr.c. by Sir Hugo. 2 382
RyYDAL HEAD (1904), br.c. by St. Frusquin. 1 1,875
TANKARD (1905), b.c. by Orme . . 2 1,808
BoKAAL (1905), b.f. by St. Serf . I 102
16 £9,024

MR. F. GRETTON’S (son of Mr. John Gretton)
Don ConQuEsT (1900), ch.c. by Donovan I £144
CorsAYR (1902), ch.c. by Ayrshire I 100
Har (1904), b.f. by Ayrshire I 100
AUK (1904), b.c. by Orme : Pigs | I9t
ZELIS (1905), b.f. by Glenwood . j CA 100
5 £635

SUMMARY
No, of
Beda Races" Value.
Won

Duke of Westminster . j ; lita, 240 £246,944
Lord Alington and Sir F. Johnstone oy > II4 103,152
Sir Joseph Hawley ; , j . y 115 69,577
Duke of Portland. ‘ P b oi 80 48 53409
Baron Hirsch ; ; ‘ ; AON 3 39 44,231
Mr. F. Gretton . } y é a 145 37,670
Mr. W. Low : f : : nef. 67 265532
Mr. Brodrick Cloete . ; ‘ eye 9 19,190
Mr. Geo. Faber . : : ‘ ds 10 14,846
Mr. John Gretton : : 3 A i 55 11,698
Earl of Stamford . j ; ; shores 3I 11,962
Mr. Francis Alexander . } ; es 33 11,705
Earl of Crewe. : j ‘ oie 16 11,139

2H

ee P

466 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

No. of No. of
Races Value.
Winners. Wie:

Mr. John Porter . ‘ ‘ AL. paling | £10,438
Duke of Westminster (2nd) . ; ee t 16 9,024.
Sir J. T. Mackenzie. : 6 13 8,401
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales . II 18 6,768
Sir James Miller . I 2 6,50
Lord Grosvenor . I 5 4,189
Mr. T. E. Walker : 8 16 39357
Sir J. Hawley and Sir F. Johnstone TOE 10 1,880
Captain Bowling . R 2 4 1,401
Sir Robert Jardine and Mr. Porter. as 2 1,389
Lord Downe y I I 989
Mr. F. Gretton 5 5 635
Mr. Marcus Daly. ‘ I 2 595
Sir F. Johnstone and Mr. Porter ae I 552
Lord Marcus Beresford . I I 436
Earl of Portsmouth 3 3 399
Lord B. Paget I 2 254
Captain Bayley . I 2 228
Lord William Beresford. I I 180
Colonel Paget I I 136
Mr. Y. R. Graham I I 112
Earl Spencer I I 102
425 1063 £720,021

ANNUAL RECORD OF WINNERS
TRAINED BY JOHN PORTER

1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886

SS A 60 ho 00 es ~3 Con Gs oe te

Number of
Winners.

Number of
Races Won.

5
5
5
4.

20

Value.

£2,180
2,485
32360
1,425
14,385
20,605
16,802
3,610
3,810
1,925
1.445
1,954
945
2,576
7,660
10,765
10,430
9,710
79541
2254.17
20,929
28,288
29,369
39,4.24.

468 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Number of Number of
Winners. Races Won. Value.

1887 . . pee rt fae £26,634
1888. j Mie | 29 24,476
1889 _ . ‘ ~ ee 37 17,135
1890 . ‘ of RS 37 23,234
189I . : . ae 44 44,893
1892. : « a4 51 52,345
1893. ‘ 6536 II 20,495
1894 . 7 « £6 27 22,672
oe | ER RTE OED 5 34 ~»~=——s«t2 8, 4.69
1896 . é + 35 33 26,730
1897 . : 5 80 23 12,761
1898 . : Mi 36 17,246
1899 . 3 eee 39 56,113
1g00 p i 14 13,192
I90r_ . , + EP 28 26,211
1902 . ‘ as 23 17,470
1903. , ue II 45319
1904 . > . #0 18 19,942
1g05_. . ‘Se 13 10,644

1063 £720,021

Add the Sums credited to horses that
were placed second or third. SN

Grand Total of Winnings . - £787,583

HORSES TRAINED BY JOHN PORTER THAT
WON STAKES TO THE VALUE OF £2000

AND OVER
ow Value £. | Chief Events in which Successful.
FLy1nc Fox 9 | 40,096 | New Stakes, Criterion Stakes,
(1898-9) Two THOUSAND GUINEAS,
DERBY, ST. LEGER, Prin-
cess of Wales’s Stakes,
Eclipse Stakes, Jockey Club
Stakes.
ORME 14 | 32,526| Richmond and Prince of
(1891-3) Wales’s Stakes at Good-
wood ; Middle Park Plate,
Dewhurst Plate, Ecli
Stakes (twice), Champion
Stakes.
La FLECHE 12 | 29,068 | Chesterfield Stakes, Cham-
(1891-2) pagne Stakes, OnE THovu-
SAND GUINEAS, Oaks, ST.
LEGER, the Cambridge-
shire Stakes.
ORMONDE 16 | 28,465 | Criterion Stakes, Dewhurst
(1885-7) Plate, Two THOUSAND
GUINEAS, DERBY, ST.
LeGcerR, Hardwicke Stakes
(twice), Champion Stakes.
CoMMON 4 | 15,960| Two THousanD GuINEAS,
(1891) Derby, ST. LEGER.
PERO GOMEZ 8 | 15,570 | Middle Park Plate, Criterion
(1868-9) Stakes, ST. LEGER, Royal

Stakes.

469

470 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

[Races Value £. | Chief Events in which Successful.
PARADOX 6 | 14,413 | Dewhurst Plate, Two
_ (1884-5) THOUSAND GUINEAS,
: Grand Prix de Paris,
Champion Stakes.
WILLIAM THE THIRD | 10 | 13,577 | Newmar. Stakes, Ascot
(1901-2) Cup, Alexandra Plate,
Doncaster Cup.
BLuE Gown 19 | 13,162 | THE Dersy, Ascot Cup.
(1867-9) ;
ORBIT 6 | 12,679 | Eclipse Stakes.
(1887-8)
SHOTOVER 5 | 12,205| Two THousAND GUINEAS
(1882) and DERBY.
GEHEIMNISS 18 | 11,096 | THE Oaks.
(1881-4)
DaRLeY DALE 2 | 10,410| Eclipse Stakes.
(1904)
NOMY 10 | 10,382 yee Cup (twice), Don-
(1877-8) up, Cambridge-
ened Manchester Cup,
Ebor Handicap.
Friar’s BALSAM 8 | 9,737| New Stakes, uly Stakes,
(1887-8) Middle Park Plate, Dew-
hurst Plate, newial:
egy
LABRADOR 10 | 95315 op, cig Pry ning : mae
1895-7 ° ndon
(895-7) ng Bunbe pion Stakes.
Le VaR 1 | 8,995 Ac ons of Wales's Stakes.
1895).
Ls ROCHE 5 | 8,976} THe Oaks, Manchester Cup.
1899
7 3 | 8,853 | Jockey Club Stakes.
(1901).
ST. BLAISE 7 | 8,337| THe Dersy.
(1882-3)

POLYMELUS 7 | 8,028! Richmond Stakes, Criterion
(1904-5) Stakes, Gatwick Stakes.
SANDIWAY Ir | 7,981 S Corona-

(1883-5) tion Stakes, Liverpool
Summer Cup.
THROSTLE 3.| 7:925| Prince of ales’s Stakes
(1894) (Goodwood), Coronation
Stakes, ST. LEGER.

Se ae
pei

ees
Pe

en Sty

Tas

i

te ee es

ea Eg el ar ee en

ELODIE

APPENDIX 471
Races vate £.| Chief Events in which Successful.
SAINFOIN 4 | 7,890| THE DERBY.
(1889-90)
MaAtTcHBOXx 7,614 | Criterion Stakes, Dewhurst
(1893-4) Plate.
RosICRUCIAN 12 | 6,230| Criterion Stakes, Alexandra
(1867-71) Plate, Ascot Stakes.
SHADDOCK 6 | 5,852| Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1896) (Ascot) and Hardwicke
Stakes.
WHIPPER-IN 13| 5,584 Chiefly handicaps.
(1882-6) .
GREEN SLEEVE 2 | 5,435 | Middle Park Plate and Pren-
(1867) dergast Stakes.
OssoRY _ 5 | 5,358| Prince of Wales’s and St.
(1887-8) James’s Palace Stakes,
Ascot.
WINDGALL 4 | 5,129 | Spring Two-Year-Old Plate
(1891-2) (Kempton), Liverpool
Autumn Cup.
PAGEANT 8 | 4,933 | Chester Cup (twice).
(1876-8)
CHERRY 3.| 4777| Epsom Grand Prize.
(1884).
CAMBUSMORE 7 | 4,758| St. James’s Palace Stakes
(1884-6) (Ascot) and Great Foal
Stakes (Newmarket).
LUMINARY 5 | 4,656| July Stakes, Hurstbourne
(1884-5) Stakes, Molecomb Stakes.
PALMER, THE 10 | 4,635} Ascot Derby, Free Handicap,
(1866-8) Liverpool Autumn Cup.
CANDLEMAS 5 | 4,593| Epsom Grand Prize.
(1886-8)
MATCHMAKER 4| 4,505| Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1895) (Ascot), Ascot Derby.
HELM 3.| 4,377 | Coronation Stakes.
(1895-6)
REPRIEVE 5 | 4,189 | National Breeders’ Produce
(1883) Stakes (Sandown Park).
WATERCRESS 3.| 4,106| Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1892) (Ascot).

FAREWELL 2 | 4,055| ONE THOUSAND GUINEAS.
(1884-5)

KENDAL 6 | 4,053] July Stakes.
(1885)

472 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Races

Won,| Value £. Chiet Events in which Successful.

Simon DALE 3| 3,950| Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1899-1900) oid ke

Imp, THE 4 | 3,894| Kempton “ Jubilee * Handi-
(1890-1) cap

OMLADINA 5 | 3,886 | Champagne Stakes.
(1895-6).

BLUE-GREEN 5 | 39742| Alexandra Plate, Lowther
(1889-92) Stakes.

CALVELEY 8 | 3,692 Doncaster Cup
(1898).

ELOPEMENT 5 | 3,558 | Windsor Castle Stakes (Ascot),
(1899-1900) Clearwell Stakes, Union

Jack Stakes.

BULLINGDON 3! 3530| Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1893-4) (Goodwood).

ZEBAC 9 | 3.493| Free Handicap (two-year-
(1895-6) old), Ascot Biennial.
ORION 4 | 3,440] Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1890-1) As, ndgt nga Champion

TARPORLEY 21 3437 se ‘of Wales’s Stakes
(1894) (Goodwood). :

REGRET 4 | 32343} St. Sa Stakes (Liver-
(1895-6) .

ATT 5 | 3318 Criterion Stakes.

(1897-8) ‘

ARGONAUT 3| 3,210} City and Suburban.
(1865)

ESUVIAN 2 | 3,067| Dewhurst Plate, St. James’s
(1896-7) Palace Stakes.

ORMUZ 8 | 3,004] Free Handicap (three-year-
(1888-92) old).

UPSET 7 | 2,999| Stewards’ Cup (Goodwood).
(1886-9)

KINGSCOTE 1 | 2,997 Epsom Grand Prize.

(1889).

Morna 5 | 2950 Bi Hagan Stakes, Nassau
(1868-9) Stakes.

St. Bris 3 | 2,905| Cesarewitch Stakes, Alex-
(1896-7) andra Plate

COLLAR 2 | 2,872 | Hardwicke Stakes
(1898).

LovEITE 2| 2,850} Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(1901) (Goodwood).

re —

Se ne ES RO REE wert eal et

APPENDIX 473

Gay HAMPTON

(1888-9)
MANNERS

(1899)

FRONTIER
(1898-9)
Mon Droit

(1887)
Friar Tuck

(1902)

PAMFLETE
(1904)

RIGHT-AWAY
(1889-90)
Grey PLUME
(1903-4)
GOLDFINCH
(1891)
SIDEROLITE
(1869-70)
‘THROWAWAY
(1901-2)
GREATOREX

(1902)

BUTTER
(1897)

DvuKE oF RICHMOND
(1883-4)

GONSALVO
(1890-1)

PLuM CENTRE
(1905)

SON OF A GUN
(1894)

‘Won, Value £. | Chief Events in which Successful.

3.| 2,832 | Kempton Park Grand Two-

Year-Old Stakes.

2 | 2,785} Prince of Wales’s Stakes

ai Great Yorkshire
takes.

2| 2,717 Heenan: Plate, Ascot Derby.
5 | 2,657 | Rous Memorial (Goodwood).

4| 2,583 | May Plate (Kempton), Duch-
ess of York Plate (Hurst
Park).

4 | 2,564) British Dominion Two-
Year-Old Race (Sandown),
Ham Stakes (Goodwood).
6 | 25554 | Clearwell Stakes.

4| 2,055| Trial Stakes and Biennial
(Ascot).
2 | 2,464| New Stakes.

9 | 2,250| Gratwicke Stakes, Ascot Vase,
Goodwood Cup.
4| 2,169] Liverpool Autumn Cup.

2 | 2,150| Hurst Park Foal Pilate,
Champion Breeders’ Stakes
(Derby).

3| 2,133] Ascot Biennial.

4 | 2,082] Richmond Stakes (Good-—
wood).

4 | 2,065| Alexandra Plate, Goodwood
Cup.

2 | 2,025] Prince of Wales’s Stakes
(Ascot).

2 | 2,000/ Liverpool Summer and
Autumn Cups.

IMPORTANT RACES WON BY HORSES
TRAINED BY JOHN PORTER

CLASSIC AND OTHER THREE-YEAR-OLD RACES

Two THousanp GuINEAS

1882.
1885.
1886.
189gI.

1899.

Shotover.
Paradox.
Ormonde.
Common.
Flying Fox.

One THousanp GuINEAS

1885. Farewell.
1892. La Fiéche.

Tue Dersy
1868. Blue Gown.
1882. Shotover.
1883. St. Blaise.
1886. Ormonde.
1890. Sainfoin.
1891. Common.
1899. Flying Fox.

Tue Oaks
1882. Geheimniss.
1892. La Fléche.
1g00. La Roche.

St. Lecer
1869. Pero Gomez.

474

1886. Ormonde.
1891. Common.
1892. La Fléche.
1894. ‘Throstle.

1899. Flying Fox.

Newmarket STaKEs
1gor. William the Third.

Granp Prix pe Paris
1885. Paradox.

Prince or Wates’s STAKES,
Ascot

1888. Ossory.

1892. Watercress.
1895. Matchmaker.
1896. Shaddock.
1899. Manners.
1900. Simon Dale.
1904. Rydal Head.
1905. Plum Centre.

Coronation Stakes, Ascot
1884. Sandiway.
1894. Throstle.
1896. Helm.

APPENDIX 475

WEIGHT-FOR-AGE RACES

Ascot Cup

1868. Blue Gown.
1879. Isonomy.
1880. Isonomy.

1902. William the Third.

ALEXANDRA Piate, Ascot

1871. Rosicrucian.
1891. Gonsalvo.
1892. Blue-Green.
1897. St. Bris.

1902. William the Third.

Ascot Gotp Vase

1870. Siderolite.
1879. Isonomy.
1902. Ice Maiden.

Harpwicke Stakes, Ascot

1886. Ormonde.
1887. Ormonde.
1896. Shaddock.
1898. Collar.

Goopwoop Cup

1870. Siderolite.
1879. Isonomy.
1891. Gonsalvo.

Doncaster Cup

1878. Pageant.

1879. Isonomy.
1899. Calveley.
1902. William the Third.

Princess or Wates’s STAKEs,
NewMarKET

1895. Le Var.
1899. Flying Fox.

Ecuipse Stakes, SANDOWN
Park
1888. Orbit.
1892. Orme.
1893. Orme.
1899. Flying Fox.
1904. Darley Dale.

Jockey Crus Sraxgs,
NEWMARKET

1899. Flying Fox.
1go1. Pietermaritzburg.

CuamPion STAKES,
NEWMARKET

1885. Paradox.

1886. Ormonde.
1888. Friar’s Balsam.
1891. Orion.

1892. Orme.

1896. Labrador.

476 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

TWO-YEAR-OLD RACES

New Sraxes, Ascot

1887. Friar’s Balsam.
1891. Goldfinch.
1894. Kissing Cup.
1898. Flying Fox.

Jury Stakes, NewMarket

1884. Luminary.
1885. Kendal.

1887. Friar’s Balsam.
1895. Labrador.

CHESTERFIELD STAKES,
NEWMARKET

1891. La Fléche. ©

Nationa, Breepers’
Propuce STAKEs

1883. Reprieve.

RicuMonp Stakes,
Goopwoop

1883. Dukeof Richmond.

1887. Friar’s Balsam.
1891. Orme.
1904. Polymelus.

Prince oF Wa tes’s STAKES,
Goopwoop

1890. Orion.
1891. Orme.
1893. Bullingdon.
1894. ‘Tarporley.
1901. Loveite.

CHAMPAGNE STAKES,
DoncasTER

1868. Morna.

1891. La Fléche.
1895. Omladina.
1898. Mark For’ard.

Mippte Park Puate,
NEWMARKET

1867. Green Sleeve.
1868. Pero Gomez.
1887. Friar’s Balsam.
1891. Orme.

CriTerion STAKES

1867. Rosicrucian.
1868. Pero Gomez.
1885. Ormonde.
1887. Ossory.
1889. Blue-Green.
1893. Matchbox.
1894. Cayenne.
1897. Batt.

1898. Flying Fox.
1904. Polymelus.

Dewuurst Piate,
NEWMARKET

1884. Paradox.
1885. Ormonde.
1887. Friar’s Balsam.
1891. Orme.

1893. Matchbox.
1896. Vesuvian.
1897. Hawfinch.
1898. Frontier.

APPENDIX 477

HANDICAPS

City anp SuBuRBAN,
Epsom

1865. Argonaut.

CuEsTER Cup

1877. Pageant.
1878. Pageant.
1891. Vasistas.

Kempton “ JusiLez ”

1890. The Imp.

Ascot STAKES

1871. Rosicrucian.

Royat Hunt Cvp,
Ascot

1868. Satyr.

Mancuester Cup

1880. Isonomy. |
1900. La Roche.

Liverpoo, SumMMER Cup

1885. Sandiway.
1894. Son of a Gun.

LiverPoo, Autumn Cup

1868. ‘The Palmer.
1869. Lictor.

1880. Prestonpans.
1887. St. Mirin.
1892. Windgall.
1894. Son of a Gun.
1902. ‘Throwaway.

Stewarps’ Cup,
Goopwoop

1887. Upset.

Esor Hanpicap, York

1879. Isonomy.

Tue CrsaREWwITcH STAKES,
NEWMARKET

1896. St. Bris.

Tue CaMBRIDGESHIRE STAKES,
NEWMARKET

1878. Isonomy.
1892. La Fléche.

Dersy Goitp Cup
1903. Littleton.

GOTLIEB.

~

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RAS Pa

A -
el CS ia ee

SARIS

eS

EEE noe ES POL oes PSS

INDEX

Adams, Jem: what he thought of
Satyr, 86, 87

Adventurer: sired Pretender in
first season, 137

Agnes: bought as foal by John
Osborne, senr., 246; dam of
Miss Agnes (g.d. of Lily
Agnes), 246

Alexander, Francis: joined Kings-
clere Stable—won two Liver-
pool Cups with Son of a Gun,
371; owner of Throwaway,
429; Andover, 4373 left
Kingsclere, 4.37

Alington, Lord: early racing career,
2103; success as a_ breeder,
210, 211 3 betting proclivities,
2103 appreciation of manage-
ment of Common, 327

Alington, Lord and Sir Frederick
Johnstone (“ The Old Firm”) :
Eastley and Royal Hunt Cup,
88; Brigantine (winner of
Oaks and Ascot Cup), 128;
joined Kingsclere Stable, 196,
202 ; lease of Geheimniss, 199 ;
St. Blaise, 202, 211 ; Common,
3213; Throstle and Matchbox
sent to Kingsclere, 359

Allison, William: Collar at Cob-
ham, 380

Andover: 2-y.-o. form — left
Kingsclere and later won
Royal Hunt Cup, 437

Andre, Monsieur: buyer of Blue
Gown, 128

Angelica (sister to St. Simon and
dam of Orme): purchase as

yearling by Mr. Taylor Sharpe,
3333 bought by D. of West-
minster, 333

Anglesey, Lord: a Findon patron,

4
Aasunien Lord: Bedminster, 68-
71; Sir J. Hawley’s pointed
question about scenery, 70
Annette: bought with her foal,
Agnes, by John Osborne, senr.,
24.6

4
Anson, General: sells Scythian, 25
Arapeile (Salamanca filly and sister
to Pero Gomez): 77, 783; up
against Achievement, 78 ; dam
of Concha, maternal grandsire
of Covertcoat, 78; went to
Australia, 78

Archer, Fred: style of riding, 54,
2673; keenness to ride Geheim-
niss in St. Leger, 207 ; Galliard,
Lord Falmouth and the Derby,
214, 2153 beaten on St.
Blaise in Grand Prix, 215;
riding of Paradox in the
2000 Gs., 233; why he
rode Melton in Derby, and
how he got Paradox beaten,
235-2373; Saraband in 2000
Gs., 257; Ormonde in the
Derby, 260; last mount on
Ormonde, 266; death, 266;
character and ability, 267

Argonaut: winner of City and
Suburban, 69, 73; tried Bed-
minster, 69

Ascot Cup: Blue Gown’s win, 126 ;
defeated next year, 1283;

479

480 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Isonomy, 179, 181, 184, 185;
pi by William the Third,

Ashmall, Tom, jockey : my school-
fellow, 1 ; married daughter of
Tom Taylor, of Bretby, 99

Astley, Sir John: Fernandez and
Mr. F. Gretton, 188

Aurelian: found in blacksmith’s
shop, 48 ; fourth in Derby, 49

Baird, Douglas: bidder for La
Fléche, 32
Bard, The: second to Ormonde in

Derby, 261; unbeaten 2-y.0o.,
2623; a race with Ormonde
declined, 266

Barrett, George (jockey): rode
Ormonde in 2000 Gs., 257 3
style of riding—eccentricities,
258; foul riding against
Ormonde, 271 ; handled Orme
well in “ Eclipse,” 3435 bad
trace on La Fléche in Derby,
34.5 3 successful on filly in the
Oaks, 346; a wild effort on
Orme in St. Leger, 347

Barrow, Boyce: an owner of
Common, 326

Bartle, George, of Brigg: sells
Merry Hart and Bones, 46

Batt (half-brother to Flying Fox) :
a good trial—won Criterion
and Houghton Stakes, 381 ;
another trtial— beaten in
Guineas—second in the Derby,
382; other races, 383, 384;
sent to S. America, 384

Batthyany, Count: death—sale of
St. Simon, 222

Baxendale, Lloyd H.: sale of land
for Newbury Racecourse, 444,

44.6
Beadsman: victory in Derby, 61,
62; 3 sent as yearling to to be

Beauclerc: son of Rosicrucian, 130
Bedminster: shared by Lord
Annesley and Sir J. Hawley,
68; tried for 2000 Gs., 69 ;

favourite for the race but
badly beaten, 70; tried for
the Derby and breaks down,
70; his predicament on Derby
day, 71

Belladrum: beaten in Champagne
Stakes, 132, 1333 already
favourite for Derby, 1333
winter favourite, 137 3 second
in 2000 Gs., 138; beaten in

purchase
purchase of

Derby, 139

Belmont, August (late) :
of St. Blaise, 216

Belmont, August:
Rock Sand, 320

Bend Or: value Aube by, 80;
beat Fernandez at Ascot, 188,
189; likeness to Sandiway,
and Bend Or wv. Tadcaster
controversy, 218

Bentinck, Lord George, 42

Benzon, E. H. (“ Jubilee Plunger ”) :

purchase of La Fléche, +329 ;
manager of horses owned
Prince of Wales and Baron

Hirsch, 339

Birdcatcher: descendants of, and
curby hocks, 80

Black Sand: amazing defeat of
William the Third, 423

Blackwell, George: appointed

trainer to Baron Hirsch, 352
Blake, W.: a Findon patron, 45
Blanc, M. Edmond: Gouverneur

and Common in 2000 Gs.,

3233; Révérend second in St.

Leger, 3243 purchase of

Flying Fox, 399; yield the

speculation produced, 400, 401
Blue Gown (by Beadsman): won

as 2-y.-0. at Ascot in May,

90; won Champagne Stakes

and disqualified, 91-96 ; beaten

in trial, 102; won

102 ; remarkable constitution,

1113 why did not run in

2000 Gs., I1I, 1125 position

in Derby betting, 112 5 beaten

by The Earl in Biennial, 113 5

Derby trial, 115, 116; my

INDEX

opinion of, 118; stable’s
hope in Derby, 1183 starts
second favourite, 1213; won

exciting race, 122; Ascot
Cup victory no proof of
stamina, 126; failure in

Cesarewitch, 126; great effort
in Cambridgeshire, 126; won
Free Handicap, 127 3 successes
as 4-y.-0., 1283 beaten Ascot
Cup, 128; further proof of
lack of stamina, 128; sale to
French syndicate, then to
Prince Pless, 128; went to
Austria, 129; returned to
England, and 4 years at Cob-
ham stud, 129; bought by
J. R. Keene, shipped to
America and died on voyage,
129; stud record, 129

Blue Green: beaten in trial, 314;
won Criterion, 3145 second
in St. Leger, 319

Bones: Lord Sefton and, 46

Bottomley, H.: purchase of Haw-
finch, 384

Boucau, Sefior: buyer of Ormonde,
278

Bowling, Captain: became owner
of Paradox when yearling, 229 ;
sold colt to D. of Westminster,
230; partner in Carrasco,
296; personal details, 296

Brampton, Lord. See Hawkins

Breadalbane: the Derby and Wm.
Anson, 71

Breba: form in Oaks etc. leads to
trouble, 63

Brigantine: won Ascot Cup, beat-
ing Blue Gown, 128; de-
scription of, 134.

Bruce: defeat in Derby and success
in Grand Prix, 206

“ Bruton, Mr.” See Padwick

Bullingdon: second in Princess of
Wales’s Stakes, 3635 sire and
dam Derby winners, 367;
lion-hearted horse, 368; trial
and form in the Derby, 368;
an untimely end, 368

Butler, Wm.: D. of Bedford’s
stables, 60

4.81

Caiman: defeat of Flying Fox in
Middle Park Plate, 389-391 ;
Sloan’s views on the race, 390

Calveley: 2-y.-0. form, 379; good
4-y--0.—went to Germany,

380

Cambridgeshire, The: Rataplan un-
placed in, 24; Catch ’em
Alive and Merry Hart, 47;
Blue Gown’s fine effort, 126;
Green Sleeve’s break-down,
1273; Isonomy, 173-175 3
Westbourne and Harbinger,
178, 1793 Fernandez, 188-
1903; St. Mirin and Archer,
266; what Ormonde could
have done, 266 ; La Fléche, 350

Cambusmore: won for D. of
Westminster, and sold to Lord
Londonderry, 226

Candlemas: successes of, 295 ;
a trial, 296

Cannon, Kempton: won Cesare-
witch on St. Bris, 378

Cannon, Mornington: Matchbox
and Grand Prix, 364;
Throstle’s St. Leger—a great
week, 367; Flying Fox and
Middle Park Plate, 390; and
Derby, 3943; William the
Third in the Derby, 418

Cannon, Tom: “a finished horse-
man,” 54.3 bought Geheimniss
as yearling and sold her to Lord
Stamford next year, 1973
Derby victory on Shotover,
206; concerning Ormonde’s
last race, 273

Cannon Heath (Sir J. Hawley’s
stable): my arrival at, 59;
prosperous times return, 89 ;
horses leave for Park House,
Kingsclere, 108

Carnarvon, Lord: bought Sainfoin
(stallion), 319

Carr, Tom, Hednesford trainer,
visits to, 2

Carrasco: beaten in a trial, 296;
won Payne Stakes, 297;
second in Ascot Cup, 297;
sold to Benzon, “ Jubilee
Plunger,” 297

21

482 JOHN PORTER

Casuistry (dam of Paradox) : bought
as a foal by Lord Rosebery,
2273; won at Epsom, 228;
sold to the Grahams as 4-y.-0.,
228; produces Paradox, 228

Catch ’em Alive: the Cam-
bridgeshire, 4.7, 48
Cesarewitch, The: Rocket’s vic-

tory, 39; Clydesdale third, 40 ;
Wolsey, 102, 104, 108;
Pageant second, 169, 170;
unplaced following year, 171 ;
Isonomy unlucky, 176, 178;
victory of St. Bris, 378

Chaplin, Hy. (now Lord): Breadal-
bane and the Derby, 71, 723
big bet Hermit v. The Palmer,
79; Matches that fell through,
80, 81; lost Satyr and claimed
Red Shoes, 84, 855 joint
owner of Rosicrucian (stallion),
130 5 supported Sir J. Hawley’s
“Turf -Reform Bill,” 155,
159, 161; breeder of Shotover,
203

Chapman, Richard (stud groom at

Eaton): purchase of Lily
Agnes, 246, 247; birth of
Ormonde, 248; Ormonde’s

first stud season, 277
Charleston : American-bred stallion
at Leybourne Grange, 66
Chester Cup: Virago and, 133;

Scythian’s victory, 25 ; Yellow
Jack second, 37; Pageant,

170, I71

Chetwynd, Sir Geo,: ‘“ Match ”-
making at the Jockey Club
Rooms, 81; origin of Sporting
Times, attack on Sir Joseph
Hawley, 148; allusions to
criticism of Duke of Parma’s
Cesarewitch victory, 170;
weak reason for decision on
objection to Lucetta (Cam-
bridgeshire), 190; a bidder for
St. Simon, 222; Paradox and
Crafton in the 2000 Gs., 233 5
concerning Ormonde’s last race,

272
Chevalier d’Industrie: racing form,
and in pedigree of Isinglass, 38

OF KINGSCLERE

Chippendale: victory in Cesare-
witch, 178

Cholmondeley, Dr.: vicar of Findon,
6

5

City and Suburban: Virago and,
14-17; Argonaut, 69, 733
scratching of Vagabond, 151 ;
Parole, 177

Cloete, Brodrick: joined Kings-
clere Stable, 227; won
races with Cherry, 227;
bought Paradox, 231; with
him won Dewhurst Plate,
2313 and 2000 Gs., 233;
Paradox beaten in Derby,
235-237; won Grand Prix,
2373 scratching of Paradox
from Cambridgeshire and dis-
agreeable consequences, 238-
2423 horses left Kingsclere,
2413 one of Lusitania victims,
242; an “In Memoriam”
card, 242

Cloghran Stud (Dublin): Sainfoin

at, 319
Clydesdale: third in 2000 Gs.,

39

Cobham Stud: Blue Gown at, 129 5
Collar, 380

Collar: 2-y.-o. form, 379; won
Hardwicke Stakes — in S.
Africa—back to England—
at Cobham Stud, 380

Common: arrived at Kingsclere,
321 5 unprepossessing yearling,
3215; ‘tried for 2000 Gzs.,
322; won the race easily,
32353 and the Derby, 324;
beaten in Eclipse Stakes, ;
won St. Leger, 3243 offer
from Austria refused, 325 ;
sold to Sir Blundell Maple,
225; another offer from
Austria declined, 325; dis-
appointing stud career, 326;

death, 326

Confessor, The (second in 2000
Gs.): reserved by Sir J.
Hawley, 64

Conroy: Ascot Derby winner, 379
Cook, Mr.: Palmer the Poisoner’s
last victim, 32

INDEX

Cora: fancied for Middle Park
Plate, 230 5 second to Paradox,
Dewhurst Plate, 231

Coracle : “ pacemaker ” for Ormonde
in 2000 Gs., 259; in Derby,
262

Counterpane: Prince of Wales’s
(King Edward’s) first winner,
2843 dropped dead at Stock-
bridge, 285

Cowl: reserved by Sir J. Hawley,
6

4

Crafton: beaten by Paradox in
2000 Gs., 233; other racing
achievements, 234.

Craven, W. G.: a Findon patron,

45
Crewe, Earl of: joined Kingsclere
stable, 438; Polymelus, 440
Crucifix: Virago thought better
than, 15, 16
Custance, H.:
97-99

Darley Dale: two trials (3-y.-o.),
438, 4393 won Ascot Derby,
4383 and Eclipse Stakes, 438,

on jockey Wells,

439

Davies, G. Saunders: at Myrtle
Grove, 24

Davis, Joseph: negotiates purchase
of Sainfoin, 316

Davis (‘‘ leviathan” bookmaker) :
Teddington’s Derby, 62

Dawson, Matt (trainer): dismay
over defeat of Wild Oats in
Middle Park Plate, 136; con-
soled fortnight later, 137;
buys St. Simon for D. of
Portland, 223; owner of
Reprieve (sold to Lord Gros-
venor), 225 ; chances of Mint-
ing and Ormonde in 2000
Gs., 255, 2563; crestfallen
over Minting’s defeat, 259;
thought Minting unbeatable
in Hardwicke Stakes, 270;
disappeared when found he
was mistaken, 272; successes
with Ladas, 362

Dawson, Tom (of Middleham) :
Lord Glasgow and a game of

483

whist, 72; and Pretender,
136

John (“Honest John”):
advertised for jockey, 4.3 took
me as apprentice, 43 left
Danebury for Michel Grove,
53 private trainer to Pad-
wick, 6; characteristics of,
6,75 teacher of jockeyship,
8; rider of classic winners,
8; opinion of Virago and
Crucifix, 15, 163; St. Hubert
and 2000 Gs., 263 quarrel
with Mr. Padwick, 27, 28;
retirement to Woodyeates, 28 ;
death, 28 ; a “‘ severe ”’ trainer,
2

Day,

Day, John, junr.: Virago, 16;
trained for Sir J. Hawley two
years, 643 opinion of Lady
Elizabeth, 105; staggered by
filly’s defeat in Middle Park
Plate, 107; “ spider and fly ”
incident, 123

Day, William: trial of Virago, 15,
16; Lord of the Isles and
2000 Gs., 27

Delphos : smart 2-y.-0., 361

Democrat: 2-y.-o. form, 411,
412

Denman, trainer: associated with
Hednesford, 4

Derby, Lord (“ Rupert of Debate”’) :
yearlings at Kingsclere, 166

Derby, The: Hobbie Noble and,
33 Lord Lyon’s trainer, 4;
Frederick and Merry Monarch,
53 my mount (Carmel) in
1858; Little Harry a dis-
appointing hot favourite, 22 ;
Rataplan fourth, 23; Yellow
Jack second, 37; Beadsman
and Wells, 40; Eclipse fourth,
40, 413; Beadsman’s dam
(Mendicant), 42 ; Sir J. Haw-
ley’s win over Beadsman, 62 ;
Beadsman again, 64, 65;
Aurelian fourth, 49 3 Tedding-
ton’s win, 62; Musjid, 65,
99 ; Bedminster in Gladiateur’s
year, 70,713; Breadalbane, 71,
72; “if” Hermit at Findon,

484 JOHN PORTER

723 a big bet on Hermit wv.
The Palmer, 79; Blue Gown,
112-116, 118-123; Lady
Elizabeth, 120-124; Pero
Gomez beaten by Pretender,
138-141 ; Shotover, 206; St.
Blaise, 213, 2143 Ormonde,
261; Miguel second, 308;
Sainfoin, 317 ; Common, 324 ;
La Fléche unluckily beaten,
344-346; Ladas and Match-
box, 362, 3633 Bullingdon,
368; Batt second to Jeddah,
382; Flying Fox, 393-3955
William the Third second to
Volodyovski, 418 ; Friar Tuck
third, 434

Diamond Jubilee: triumph in the
Derby, 412

Dobell, G. C.: owner of Piety
(Manchester Cup), 377

Dover: trainer of Lord Lyon, 4;
took Sir J. Hawley’s horses
during my illness, 75, 77

Doyle, John, jockey: his in
the Blue Gown affair at
Doncaster, 93, 94

Duke of Parma: beat Pageant
in Cesarewitch, 169; result
provoked comment, 1703; a
reputed sprinter, 170

Duke of Richmond: good 2-y.-o.,
2173 change of name, 221;
won trial, 2213; matched
against St. Simon, 221 5 second
in Royal Hunt Cup, Woking-
ham Stakes and Stewards’ Cup,
223, 2243 sold to Capt.
Machell, 2243; cut and re-
sold, 2243; descent to selling
hurdle races, 224; remarkable
speed, 224

Duke of Westminster (colt): trial
as 3-y.-0., 4313 bought by
Mr. (now Lord) Faber, 432 ;
favourite for 2000 Gs., but
“‘ nowhere,” 4325 beaten in
Derby and Cambridgeshire, 432,
4333 a failure at the stud, 433

Durham, Lord: supported Sir J.
Hawley’s “ Turf Reform Bill,”

155

OF KINGSCLERE

Dutch Oven : beaten in Derby, 206 ;
won St. Leger, 208; a good

stayer, 208

Earl, The: an unfertile stallion,
833 stable’s contempt for
Derby chance, 1203 opinion
changed when too late, 121;
scratched at eleventh hour,
1213 won Grand Prix, 121;
“spider and fly” incident,
1233 beaten by Xi in match,
IOI

Eastley : the Royal Hunt Cup won
by Satyr, 88

Eclipse (by Orlando): second
favourite for Derby, 41 5 went
to U.S.A., 41

Elizabeth (Fair Rosamond filly):
at Kingsclere (2-y.-0.), 1933
won 1000 Gs., 194.5 as brood

mare, 194

Elopement : favourite for 2000 Gs.
—finished fourth, 408, 409 ;
racing performances—sent to
Germany, 413

England, Captain: purchase of
Ormonde, 278

Escrett: trainer at Hednesford and
Michel Grove, 43 in Mr.
Gratwicke’s service, 5

Faber, David: an owner of Poly-
melus, 441

Faber, Lord: owner of Pieter-
maritzburg, 429; purchase of
Duke of Westminster, 432;
left Kingsclere,437

Fakir : vicious horse, 144 ; “ pulls ”
me to Stockbridge races, 14.4

Falconer, David: sold Perdita II. to
Prince of Wales, 287

Falmouth, Lord: Archer and Dutch
Oven, 207; dissatisfied with
Archer’s handling of Galliard,

214
Falmouth : the Cambridgeshire, 178
Farewell: trial for r1ooo Gzs.,

23253 unexpectedly won the

race, 234, 2433 daughter of

Lily Agnes, 243, 2473 at the

stud, 244

Pt I~

Se Oy

INDEX

Fenwick, W. H.: raced Gravity,
dam of William the Third, 414
Fernandez (brother to Isonomy) :
Yardley product, 187; first
win a surprise, 1875 un-
placed in 2000 Gs. 188;
ran Bend Or to a head at
Ascot when not fit, 188;
favourite for Cambridgeshire,

188; Sir John Astley’s recol- .

lections, 188 ; beaten 4 length
by Lucetta, 189; scratched
for Liverpool Autumn Cup in
favour of Prestonpans, IgI ;
hostile demonstration leads to
Mr. Gretton’s horses leaving
Kingsclere, 192; ‘“‘ The fat
horse” at Goodwood, 1923
sale of, 193; varying stud
fees, 193; destroyed, 193;
stakes won by offspring, 193

Findon: stables built, 29; fine
training gallops at, 55; “if”
Hermit at, 72; I visit the old
place, 56; R. Gore at, 29

FitzRoland: winner of 2000 Gs.,
39; bought cheaply as year-
ling, 64; offered as gift “‘ with
engagements,” 65

Flying Fox: bred at Eaton—pro-
duct of risky experiment in
breeding—a yearling with a
“ Derby look,” 3875; mulish
disposition—a successful trial
—won New Stakes, 388;
unluckily beaten by St. Gris
—and in Middle Park Plate,
389; Tod Sloan’s opinion,
390, 391, 3943 won Criterion
Stakes, 3913; Guineas’ trial
—won 2000 Gs. 392;
Derby triumph, 393-3953
seventh Derby winner trained
at Kingsclere, 396; the Ten
Thousand Pound races, 396,
3973 St. Leger victory, 397 ;
winning record, 397, 3983
sale to M. Blanc, 399; a8
sire of winners, 399, 400;
what he yielded M. Blanc,
4013 death, 402; chief
winners, 401

485

Flying Lemur (brother to Flying
Fox): two-year-old form,
4.315 won trial (3-y.-0.), 43123
success in Ascot Derby, 433;
at the stud—sale to Austrians
—death, 433

Footlight : sale of, 229

Fordham, George, jockey: Lord
Clifden’s defeat in Paris pleases
him, 493 apprenticed to
Drewitt at Lewes, 513; an
incident at Littlehampton, 51,
523 style of riding, 54, 55;
and defeat of Lady Elizabeth
in Middle Park Plate, 107

Forth: trainer to Mr. Gratwicke, 5

Friar’s Balsam: unbeaten 2-y.-0.,
2973 trial winner, 2973
record as 2-y.-0., 2983 tried
for Middle Park Plate, 298 ;
beaten in 2000 Gs., 299;
found to have abscess in mouth,
299; won Champion Stakes,
300; beaten in last race
(4-y.-0.), 3003 stud career at
Blankney and death, 301

Friar Tuck : poor 2-y.-o. form, 4.34 3
two trials, 434; third in
Derby, and St. Leger, 4343
in India and Australia, 434

Galliard: at Leybourne Grange,
66; won 2000 Gs., 2123
favourite for, and defeat in the
Derby, 213, 2143; Archer
and, 214, 215; Lord Feal-
mouth and, 214.

Gantlet: dam of Duke of West-
minster—beaten by Orme, 337

Geary, Alfred: alleged writer of
libel on Sir J. Hawley, 149

Geheimniss : by _ Rosicrucian,
1303 bred by Mr. J. Watson
(Waresley), bought by Tom
Cannon, who sold to Lord
Stamford, 197; 2-y.-o. form,
197, 198; winner of Oaks,
198, 1993 compared with
Shotover, 198; defeat at
Ascot, 199; second to Dutch
Oven in St. Leger, 199 ;
leased to Lord Alington, 199 ;

486 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

racing and stud records, 200,
201; bought by Count Lehn-
dorff, 201; bred winners in
Germany, 201; not a good
stayer, 208; in St. Blaise’s
Derby trial, 213; sale to
Count Lehndorff, 372

Gerard, Lord: lease of Ormonde,

277 1

Ginnistrelli, Chevalier: Signorina
and Signorinetta, 336, 337

Gladiateur : Derby victory, 71

Glasgow, Lord: a bother with Tom
Dawson, 72

Goater, Harry, jockey and trainer :
trained Salpinctes, 36 ; Eastley
and Royal Hunt Cup, 88

Goater, Jim, jockey: “a very good
one,” 36; rode for Lord
Palmerston, 36; won on The
Ranger in Grand Prix, 50

Goater, William: St. Hubert, 26;
succeeded John Day at Findon,
28, 36; his high character,
36; converted Findon into
** public ” stable, 45; received
(temporarily) Mr. Chaplin’s
horses, 72

Goldfinch: fine 2-y.-o. form, 330,
3313 broke down in 2000
Gs., sold to U.S.A., 331

Gore, Robert: at Findon, 29

Gouverneur : 2000 Gs. and Derby,
323, 324 second in “ Eclipse,”

324

Graham, George (of Yardley): a
costly practical joke, 309

Grahams, of Yardley: breeders of
Isonomy, 171; of Fernandez,
187; of Paradox, 2273; pur-
chase of Casuistry, 228

Grand Prix de Paris : The Ranger’s
victory, 49-51 3 won by Para-
dox, 237; by Minting, 260;
Matchbox second, 363, 364

Granville, Lord: joint owner of
Rosicrucian (stallion), 130

Gratwicke, W. G. R.: horses at
Michel Grove, and sale of
racing stud, §

Great Metropolitan: Virago and,
14-173 Parole, 177

Greatorex: two trials, 435 ; second
in New Stakes, 435; and in
Middle Park Plate, 436;
became roarer and went to
S. Africa, where successful
stallion, 436

Green Sleeve: a sensational début,
gt; beaten by Rosicrucian
in trial, 102; won Middle
Park Plate, 102, 104-106;
attacked by fever, 1867-8,
Itt; position in Derb
betting, 112; favourite for
z000 Gs, 112; © finished
fourth, 113; my opinion of
the filly, 118; broke down
when tried for Cambridgeshire,
1273 first produce at stud,
127, 128; sold to France and
there bred Insulaire, 128

Gretton, Frederick: sent horses
to Kingsclere (1873), 166;
policy adopted with omy,
1733 Cambridgeshire bets,
1753 big bet on Westbourne,
178; Harbinger, and Cam-
bridgeshire, 178; how he
nearly lost his trainer, 181 ;
a bedroom interview, 182;
bought Fernandez (brother to
Isonomy), 187; a mistake at
Ascot, 188; poured out his
soul to Sir J. Astley, 189;
obstinacy over Cambridgeshire
objection, 189, 190; the
Fernandez-Prestonpans row at
Liverpool, 190-192; horses
leave Kingsclere, 192; the
stolen tie-pin, 309

Gretton, John: sent horses to
Kingsclere (1876), 1673 first
racehorses, 1943; breeder of
Roquefort, 194; unlucky with

Miguel, 308; a fine person-
ality, 308

Gretton, F. (son of John): owner
of racehorses, 309; member
of Kingsclere syndicate, 437 ;
sale of share in syndicate, 443

Greville, Mr: Virago and Mus-
covite, 17; breeder of Eclipse
(by Orlando), 41

4
fl
i

INDEX

Grosvenor, Lord: success with
Reprieve, his only racehorse,

225

Gully, John: Derby winner, And-
over, 423 remarkable career,
423; horses trained at Dane-
bury, 42; “classic ” successes,
4253 sale of Mendicant to Sir
J. Hawley, 42, 61; visit to
Michel Grove and his present
to me, 43

Haggin, J. B.: purchase of Star
Ruby, 370 .
Hamilton Stud (Newmarket) : Sain-

_ foin at, 319

Handicap Weights, 20

Harrison, J. Simons: breeder of
Kissing Cup, 370

Hastings, Marquis of : Lady Eliza-
beth’s defeat in Middle Park
Plate, 105-107; horses as-
signed to Padwick, 1213
“spider and fly” incident,
123; death, 124; asked me
to train Lady Elizabeth and
The Earl, 124.

Hauteur: by Rosicrucian, 130

Hawfinch: a lazy horse—won
Dewhurst Plate—bought by
Mr. Bottomley, 384

Hawkins, Mr. Justice: visits to
Kingsclere, 291

Hawley, Sir Joseph: early career,

60, 613 acquired love for -

racing in Italy and_ there
confederate of J. Massey
Stanley, 61; return to Eng-
land—racing stable at New-
market, 61; won Oaks with
Miami, 61; Derby with
Beadsman, 40, 61, 62; bought
Mendicant, dam of Beadsman,
423 at Sale reserved the mare
at 500 Gs., 64; Tedding-
ton’s Derby, 62; temporary
retirement and cause, 63};
on return, horses go _ to
“Young” John Day, 64;
Musjid and the Derby, 65;
engaged Manning as private
trainer, 64; bought D. of

487

Bedford’s stables at New-
market, but relinquished them,
60; won 2000 Gs. with
FitzRoland, 39; death of
Manning,—engages me, 58-
60; Asteroid and Chester
Cup, 65; four lean years, 68 ;
half-share in Bedminster, 68 ;
Bedminster and Wells provoke
sarcasm, 713; decision to
build new stables at Kings-
clere, 76; big bet on The
Palmer for the Derby, 79;
matches that fell through, 80,
813; dérived consolation from
The Palmer’s win at Liverpool,
835; bought Satyr out of
Selling race and with him won
Royal Hunt Cup and big bets,
84-88; prosperous times return,
89; Blue Gown, Rosicrucian
and Green Sleeve “arrive,”
89; Blue Gown affair at
Doncaster, 91-96; suspended
Wells, 95; the rights of
employers, 97; bought Xi
and allowed Sir F. Johnstone
half-share, 100; great time
at second Oct. Meeting, New-
market: (1867), 102; Green
Sleeve, Rosicrucian and Middle
Park Plate, 104+106; horses
left Cannon. Heath for Kings-
clere, 108; bets on Derby
of 1868, 1123; hedged those
on Blue Gown, 1123 touts
hoodwinked at Derby trial,
113-1153 decision to start
three candidates at Epsom,
1163 precautionary “ declara-
tion” against Blue Gown,
118; delighted with colt’a
victory, 1223; not afraid of
Belladrum, 1333 big bets on
Pero Gomez for Derby, 140 ;
a stupid objection to Pretender,
140, 1413; Pero Gomez only
St. Leger winner, 142; three
good years (1867-9), 1523
followed by lean ones, 1523;
waning interest in racing, 152 3
failing health, 1623; sale in

488 JOHN PORTER

1873 of bloodstock, 162;
last visit to Kingsclere, 162 ;
death (1875), 1635; a great
patron of the Turf, 163
His manner, 65; a breeder on
small scale, 66; a generous
action, 74.3 solicitude for my
welfare during my illness, 75 ;
traits in his character, 163,
164.3; success as a breeder,
1643; breeder of Stray Shot,
dam of Shotover, 203
“ Turf Reform Bill,” 1535 sug-

gestions concerning racing of
two-year-olds, 153; other
proposals, 1543 rejected by
Jockey Club, 156; modified
proposal adopted, 1593 an
amazing sequel, 161; opposed
to early two-year-old races,
1593 viciously attacked by
The Sporting Times, 146-150 ;
shakes hands with Dr. Short-
house, 150; gave me option
of buying Kingsclere by his
will, 109 ; allowed trainer and
jockey to share in Matches,
101; Wells’s audacious reply,
1013; believer in “to
weights ” in handicaps, 126 ;
“no use” for excuses, 142 ;
strong views on owner’s rights,
150, 1513 his procedure with
Vagabond as an illustration,
151

Hednesford: trainers at, 1, 2, 4

“ Henry, Mr.,” sssumed name of
Mr. Padwick

Hermit: “if” at Findon, 72;
victory in the Derby, 79; my
opinion of, 79; pays forfeit
to The Palmer, 80, 81

Herring, George: misunderstand-
ing over Blue Gown, 111, 112;
made fortune in City, r12

Highland Chief: Archer and the
Derby, 214, 215

Hindlip, Lord: the purchase of
Vampire, 386

Hirsch, Baron Maurice: joined
Kingsclere Stable, 328 ; career
of, 328 ; great generosity, 328,

OF KINGSCLERE

3293 bought Grand Prix
winner, Vasistas, 3293; pur-
chase of La Fléche, 329, 3303
his Derby disappointment, 346 ;
supported his trainer, 351 ;
horses left Kingsclere, 351 3
desire to send them back—a
flattering proposal, 352 ; ai
3523 purchase and sale
Matchbox, 363, 364

Hobbie Noble: fancied for 1852
Derby, 3 :

Hodgman, George: Virago’s trial,
15; share in Cesarewitch
winner, Rocket, 39

Holocauste: broke rac in Flying
Fox’s Derby, 393, 394 3 Sloan’s
opinion of, 394

Hoole, A.: owner of stallion
Wisdom, 413, 414

“ Howard, Mr.,” assumed name of
Mr. Padwick

Howard, C. E.: owner of Willonyx,

427

Huxtable, jockey: Rosicrucian’s
= in Middle Park Plate,
10

Imp, The: winner of Kempton
* Jubilee,” and sold to Prince
of Wales, 321

nee valuable trial horse,

217
Insulaire (out of Green Sleeve) :
winner of French Derby and

second in Derby at Epsom,

128

Isola Bella (dam of Isonomy and
Fernandez): worthless as
racer, 186

Isonomy: as a yearling at Yardley
Stud, 172; why he received
his name, 1723; bought at
Doncaster, 172 3 a small horse,
173 3. two-year-old form, 173 ;
why not raced in classic events,
1733; Cambridgeshire only
race as three-year-old, 173;
an abortive trial, 174; won
Cambridgeshire easily, 175 3
four-year-old record, 176;
beaten by Parole in spring, and

PP LSA ALE Se oe aan

<

Sans ee

INDEX

unlucky in Cesarewitch, 176,
1785; notable successes as 4-
y--o.— including Ascot, Good-
wood, and Doncaster Cups, and
Ebor Handicap, 179; as five-
year-old—victories in Man-
chester and Ascot Cups, 181,
184; tacing record and Stakes
won, 185; at the Stud, 185;
notable horses he sired, 185 ;
stakes won by his offspring,
1855 sold at Tattersall’s to
Mr. Stirling Crawfurd, 185;
his stud fees, 1863; tabulated
record of stakes won by stock,
187; Mr. Edmund Tatter-
sall’s advice to Duchess of
Montrose, 186; death (1891),
186; sale, 193

Jardine, Sir Robert: Pretender,
136; partner in Sainfoin,
3133; sale of the colt to Sir
J. Miller, 3165 disappoint-
ment over Derby, 318

Jeddah: unplaced 2000 Gs,—
won Derby, 382; a very weak
foal, 383

Jockey Club: Sir J. Hawley’s
proposed reforms, 153-159;
seek views of trainers, 157 5
conclusions formed thereon,
1593 an amazing sequel, 161 ;
Newbury Racecourse licence,
444

Jockeys: making of, 203; their
emolumenrits, 62

Joel, S. B.: the purchase of Poly-
melus, 44.1

Johnstone, Sir Frederick: half-
share in Xi with Sir J. Haw-
ley, 100 5 success as a breeder,
210, 211; betting proclivities,
210; horses in partnership
with Lord Alington (see
Alington); patron of Kings-
clere to the end, 442

Johnstone, John: Pretender, 136

Jones, John: trainer of ’chasers for
Prince of Wales, 284

Julius: beaten in match by Lady
Elizabeth, 107

489
Keene, J. R.: bought Blue Gown,

12

se when yearling preferred

to Ormonde, 248; beat Or-
monde in trial (2-y.-o.), 249,
250, 2513 facing career,
2503 presented to me, 264;
leased to Lord Wolverton,
264; sold to Mr. J. Gubbins,
then to Maj. Platt, and later
to Argentine Stud, 265;
death, 265

Kent, John: trainer at Goodwood,

5

Keppel, Admiral Sir H.: visits to
Kingsclere, 291

King Cophetua: Middle Park
Plate, 135 3 why Sir J. Haw-
ley’s first choice, 135

King Edward VII.: Chevalier
Ginnistrelli and, 337; interest
in Newbury racecourse, 444.
See also Prince of Wales

Kingsclere: town and district,
history of, 109

Kingsclere Stables (Park House):
building of, 76, 773 Sir J.
Hawley’s horses removed to,
108 ; I exercise option (given
in Sir Joseph’s will) of buying,

1093; the training ground,
160; Sir J. Hawley’s last
visit, 162; Mr. F. Gretton
joined, 166; Mr. T. E.

Walker, 166, 193, 1943 in
“shallow water,” 1673; Mr.
John Gretton a patron (1876),
167, 194.3 Roquefort at, 194 ;
horses owned by Lord Stam-
ford, Lord Alington, Sir F.
Johnstone and D. of West-
minster arrived, 196 ; Geheim-
niss, 1973 Shotover, 203};
patrons’ amicable relations,
2053 a “classic” celebration,
209; first visit of Prince of
Wales, 212; Mr. Cloete
joined, 227; Paradox, 229;
Mr. Cloete’s horses left, 238-
2413 the story of Ormonde,
245-283; Ormonde left for
Eaton Stud, 2733; Prince’s

490 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

visits, 290; Admiral Sir H.
Keppel, 2913; visits of dis-
tinguished lawyers, 291-294 ;
a wonderful Goodwood, 302,
303; Mr. W. Low joined,
307; Sainfoin, 313; Com-
mon, 321; La Fléche, Orme,
Watercress, and Goldfinch,
330; Throstle and Match-
box, 365; thirteen two-year-
old winners in 1895, 3713
William the Third, 4143 con-
vetted into a limited company,
4373 departure of horses
owned by Mr. Faber, Mr.
Low, and Mr. Alexander, 437,
438; a small total of winnings
(1903), 4373 Polymelus the
last winner saddled, 442

King Tom: at Myrtle Grove,
243 sold to Baron Rothschild,

24

Kingwood: Ormonde’s last race
and, 272, 273

Kisber Stud : Matchbox at, 367

Kissing Cup: won New Stakes,
369; bought as a yearling—
produce, 370

Labrador: useful 2-y.-o.—good
stayer — third in 2000 Gsz.,
—second in St. Leger—winner
of Champion Stakes—subse-
quent form, 375

Ladas : always too good for Match-
box, 360; unbeaten 2-y.-o.,
3623 victories in Guineas
and Derby, 362; subsequent
failures, 363; defeat in St.
Leger, 365, 366

Lady Elizabeth: beat Blue Gown at
Bath, 90; defeat of The Earl
by Xi, 101; failure in Middle
Park Plate and consternation
at Danebury, 105-107; two-
year-old record, 105; beat
Julius in Match, 107; winter
favourite for Derby, 1123
Danebury’s predicament, 120,
121; went to pieces as result
of match with Julius, 121;
public infatuated, 1215; badly

beaten in Derby, 1223 and
in Oaks, 122

La Fléche: bought by Baron Hirsch
at Hampton Court Yearling
Sale, 329, 3305 sent to Kings-
clere, 330; 2-y.-o. trial, 331;
won first race, 3323 suc-
cesses at Goodwood and Don-
caster, 332, 333; D. of
Westminster’s opinion of, 335 ;
won 1000 Gs., 344; failure
in the Derby, 344-346 ; victory
in the Oaks, 346; and in St.
Leger, 347, 348; a great
stayer, 350 ; autumn successes
—including the Cambridge-
shire, 350, 3513 left Kings-
clere, 3515 twice beaten by
Orme, 3533 racing record,
355, 356; bought by Sir
Tatton Sykes, 356; stud
record, 357; death, 358;
highest-priced brood mare, 356,

57
pote od George: his version of
Virago’s trial, 15; horses at
Findon, 39 ; buys Cesarewitch
winner Rocket from Padwick,
39 3 my opinion of, 40
Lambkin, The: victory in St. Leger
and bother over nomination,

219

La Roche: second in trial, 407 ;
won Prince of Wales’s Nursery,
408; another trial, 408;
fourth in 1000 Gs.— won
the Oaks and Manchester Cup
—beaten in Doncaster Cup,
409; failure in the Cam-
bridgeshire, 410; at the Stud,

410

Lehndorff, Count (late): purchase
of Geheimniss, 201

Le Var: winner of Princess of
Wales’s Stakes, 371

Leybourne Grange: Sir J. Haw-
ley’s home in Kent, 643; size
of Stud, 66; Mr. T. Phillips a
tenant, 66 ; Madame Eglentine,
and some Russian sheep, gt

Lictor: beaten by Blue Gown, 90 ;
reliable trial horse, 1393

INDEX

won Liverpool Autumn Cup
(1869), 146; savage attack
on Sir Joseph Hawley, sequel
to the race, 146-150; com-
pared with Whipper-in, 217
Lily Agnes (dam of Ormonde) :
bred by Snarry, 246; imme-
diate ancestors, 245, 246;
description of, 246; races
won by, 246; bought by D.

of Westminster, 247; pro-
duced Farewell (winner of
1000)=—fs«Gs.), 2473 = and

Ormonde, 248

Little Harry: Virago tried with,
153 favourite for 1852 Derby,
22; tried St. Hubert for
2000 Gs., 27

Littleton : two trials, 435 ; autumn

successes a8 3-y.-0., 4363
sold to Mr. Rayner 436;
at the stud, 437

Littleton Stables, Winchester :

taken by Goaters (J. and H.),
6

3

Lizzie Agnes: bought by D. of
Westminster, 247

Loeffler: horse dentist called to see
Orme, 340

Lord, Sammy: trainer at Hednes-
ford, 4

Lord Clifden: defeat in Grand
Prix, 49 3 revenge in St. Leger,

SI

Lord Lyon: trained by Dover, 4

Lord of the Isles: trained by Wm.
Day for Mr. Merry, 27; won
2000 Gs., 273; associated
with St. Hubert affair, 27, 28

Lorillard, P.: owner of Parole,
177

Low, W.: joined Kingsclere stable,
307 ; unfortunate with Right-
away, 3203; won Cesarewitch
with St. Bris, 378; Elope-
ment, 4133; Littleton, 437;
left Kingsclere, 4.37

Lucetta: luckily beats Fernandez in
Cambridgeshire, 189

Luminary: useful 2-y.-o., but
became roarer, 2443; sire of
Jerry M.’s dam, 244

491

Macdonough, William (Californian
breeder): last owner of
Ormonde, 280

Machell, Capt.: manager of Mr.
Chaplin’s stud, 72; objection
to nomination of The Lambkin
for St. Leger, 219; what he
thought of Kilwarlin, 269;
and of Ormonde, 270

Mackenzie, Sir J. T.: joined
Kingsclere stable, 301; won
Stewards’ Cup with Upset,
301 /

Madame Eglentine: peculiar tem-
perament, 84; brief racing
career and wilful behaviour, go,

gt

Manners: 3-y.-0. form—sold to
Germany, 4.10

Manning, George: engaged as
private trainer to Sir J.

Hawley, 64; death of, 58

Mannington (Brighton “ Vet”):
a “day out” with Fordham,
51 3 receives Satyr as a present,
885; treatment of Rosicrucian
and Green Sleeve, r11

Mannlicher: pacemaker to William
the Third, 420, 422

Maple, Sir Blundell: Saraband and
2000 Gs., 2573 purchase of
Common and refusal of a
profit, 325; bought Omla-
dina and passed her on to
Germans, 374

Marc Antony ; beaten by Virago, 16

Marlow, Charles, jockey: my god-
father, 1

Marsh, Richard: trainer to King
Edward, 288; received horses
of Prince of Wales and Baron
Hirsch, 3513; Jeddah and the
Derby, 383

Marson, Job, jockey : Teddington’s
Derby, 62 :

Matchbox: arrival at Kingsclere,
3593 two trials (2-y.-0.),
360; failure in first race,
361; another trial, 361;
won at Kempton, 362; suc-
cesses in Criterion and Dew-
hurst Plate, 362; beaten by

492 JOHN PORTER

Ladas in Guineas and Derby,
362, 3633; bought by Baron
Hirsch, 363 ; second in Grand
Prix, 364 ; sold to Hungarians,
364.5; defeat in St. Leger, 365,
366; at the Kisber Stud,
where successful as a sire, 367

Matches: The Palmer v. Hermit,
80, 81; how they were often
arranged, 813 deterring effect
of Heath Tax, 82; Xiv. The
Earl, 101, 1023; Morna wv.
Acaster, 1333 Siderolite wv.
Midsummer, 14.5

Match Girl: dam of Matchbox
and Matchmaker, 243, 244

Matchmaker, 371

Mathews, Sir C.: visits to Kings-
clere, 294

May, Walter: trainer at Michel
Grove, 5

Melton: won Middle Park Plate,
230, 2313 beat Paradox in
the Derby, 235-2373 a race
with Ormonde declined, 266

Mendicant : purchase of, by Sir J.
Hawley, 61; failure in Ascot
Cup, 61 ; breeds Derby winner,
Beadsman ,61, 62 3 reserved at,

500 gs., 64 ,
Merry, James: horses with

Saunders, 33; Lord of the

Isles, 27; leaves William

Day, 285 disappointments over
Belladrum, 132, 138

Miami: Oaks winner, 61

Michel Grove (training stable) :
John Day at, 4; I go there
as apprentice, 4; Mr. Grat-
wicke and his trainers at, 5 ;

taken by Padwick, 6; Mr.
Gully’s visit to, 433; fine
training gallops, 55; my

visit to, 56

Middle Park Plate: Green Sleeve,
Rosicrucian and Lady Eliza-
beth, 102, 105-107; Pero
Gomez, 134-136; Shotover
unplaced, 203; Paradox un-
lucky, 2303 Friar’s Balsam,
298; Orme, 337; Omladina
second to St. Frusquin, 373 ;

OF KINGSCLERE

Flying Fox beaten by Caiman,

p89 Greatorex beaten a
ead, 436; Polymelus un-
placed, 440

_ Miguel: second in Derby and St.

Leger, 30

Miller, Sir James: bought Sain-
foin, 316

Minting: winner of Middle Park
Plate, 252; Matt Dawson’s
great opinion of, 255, 256;
beaten in 2000 Gs., 258,
259; ran in Grand Prix
(and won) instead of Derby,
260 ; beat St. Mirin at Ascot,
269; beaten a neck by
Ormonde in famous race for
Hardwicke Stakes, 270

Miss Agnes: bought by Sir Tatton
Sykes, 246; dam of Polly
Agnes (g.d. of Ormonde), 246

Miss Jummy (winner of tooo Gs.
and Oaks): beaten by Or-
monde, 254

Modwena: one of Ormonde’s first
opponents, 252, 253

Mon Droit: useful winner—
Friar’s Balsam tried with, 298

Monk: first horse to win in
my colours, 180; failure in
Stewards’ Cup (1877), 180

Montrose, Duchess of: desire to
sell Isonomy, 186

Morna: sister to The Palmer and
Rosicrucian, 1313 won trial
for Champagne Stakes, 131,
132; and the race, 1333 an
unlucky 3-y.-0., 1335 not
a good stayer, 1343; other
races, 1343 went to France,
but not a success at stud, 134

Mortimer: defeat by Scythian in
Chester Cup, 25

Moulton Paddocks (Newmarket) :
Ormonde at, 277

Musjid: winner of Derby, 65;
as Stallion at Leybourne
Grange, 66

Nameless : dam of Geheimniss, 197
Newbury Racecourse: scheme took
shape, 443 5 negotiations with

INDEX

Stewards of Jockey Club, and
King Edward’s interest, 444,
445 3 company floated, 446;
a great success, 447
Newman, H.: a stolen watch story,
II
le ek delicacy of his stock,

493

autumn form as 3-y.-0. 349,
3503 faces as 4-y.-0., twice
defeated La Fléche, 353; leg
trouble and retirement to
Eaton Stud, 353, 3543 full

racing record, 354, 3553 a
yearling bet on Derby, 366

79; “ Newminster on Stock- | Ormondale: son of Ormonde, 281
well,” 80 Ormonde: comparison with Rosi-

North, Colonel J. T.: a bidder for
La Fléche, 329

Oaks, The: Breba and, 63 ; Morna
second, 133, 1343; won by
Geheimniss, 199; La Fléche,
34.6; La Roche, 409

Omladina: daughter of Geheimniss,

201 ; lacked constitution, 201 ;

bought as foal by D. of West-

minster—very speedy 2-y.-o.

—trial—successes at Good-

wood and Doncaster, 3723

another trial—second in Middle

Park Plate, 373; not so good

as a 3-y.-o.—beaten in trial

and in 1000 Gs,—a win at

Ascot—sold to Sir B. Maple

and then to go to Germany,

373» 374 ‘ i

Thousand Guineas: Virago,

18; Perfection third, 40, 41 ;

Morna second, 133 ; Shotover

beaten a neck, 205; won by

Farewell, 234, 243 ; La Fléche,

3443 Omladina unplaced, 374 ;

La Roche fourth, 409

Orbit: two-year-old form, 304 ;
third in 2000 Gs., 304;
Eclipse Stakes, 304, 305

Orme: breeding of, 3333; a
promising yearling, 334 ; trial,
3343 winner at Goodwood,
3353 D. of Westminster and,
3353 beaten by Signorina,
336; won Middle Park Plate,
3373; and Dewhurst Plate,
3383 the poisoning episode,
339-342 5; wonderful recovery
and victory in “ Eclipse,” 342,
343 5 a preparatory trial, 343 5
defeat in St. Leger, 347-349 ;
not a stayer, 348, 3493

On

o

crucian, 1173 with St. Simon,
2233; his dam (Lily Agnes)
and her line, 245-2473; birth
at Eaton, 248; an abnormal
foal, 248; as a yearling, 248 ;
troubled with splints, 249;
beaten in first trial by Kendal,
249 ; height and characteristics
as 2-y.-0.. 2513 how the
Duke felt when riding him,
2523 starts racing, 2525
successes in Criterion and
Dewhurst, 2543; 2000 Gs.
—inspected by Matt Dawson
—Minting his chief rival—
Saraband also fancied—the
race won easily, 255-260;
the Derby—another easy win,
260-263; Ascot successes and
the St. Leger, 263-2643;
autumn victories 265, 266;
first symptoms of roaring,
267; treatment during en-
suing winter, 268; malady
becomes worse, 2683 a trial,
269; at Ascot gives Kilwarlin
25 lb. and a beating, 269;
sensational victory over. Mint-
ing and Bendigo, 270; last
race, 272, 273; left Kings-
clere for Eaton Stud, 273;
summary of racing career,
2755 Jubilee festivities at
Grosvenor House, 276; first
stud season a success, 277;
leased to Lord Gerard and goes
to Moulton Paddocks, New-
market, 277; a serious illness,
2773 return to Eaton, 278;
sold to go to Argentina, 278 ;
why D. of Westminster parted
with him, 279; return to
England from Argentina, 279,

494 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

2835; bought by Mr. W.
Macdonough and goes to
California, 280; almost im-
potent, 280; destroyed and
skeleton sent to London, 281 ;
offspring bred in U.S.A., 281 ;
influence in Argentina, 28 5 ;
wonderful “first crop” in
England, 281, 282; attempt
to form English syndicate to
secure his repatriation, 282 ;
ran last in a trial, but not
himself being tried, 296

Orsini: son of Ormonde, 281

Orville: son of Ormonde imported
to Argentina, 281

Orwell: fourth in Derby, 318

Osborne, John, senr.: death and
sale of bloodstock, 100; Xi
bought by Sir J. Hawley, 100 ;
bought Annette and her foal,
Agnes, 246; sold Miss Agnes
(daughter of Agnes) to Sir
Tatton Sykes, 246

Osborne, John, jockey: Pretender,
141

Ossary: son of Ormonde, 281

Ossory (brother to Ormonde) :
beaten in trial (2-y.-0.), 303 5
won Criterion, 304; Eclipse
Stakes, 304, 305

Oulston: defeat of Saucebox, 25 ;
of Rataplan, 26; at Cawston
Lodge Stud, 26

Padwick, H.: J. Day training for,
4.3 took Michel Grove Stables,
6; assumed name “ Mr.
Howard,” 8; other assumed
names, 43; owner of Virago,
10; Virago’s trial for City
and Suburban, 15; Rataplan,
233 bought Scythian, 25;
St. Hubert and 2000 Gs.—
suspicions aroused, 26; separ-
ated from John Day, 28;
appointed Goater his trainer,
283; builds stables at Findon,
29; “as much sinned against
as sinning,” 313; his only
win, 42; share of
Andover, 42; sale of racing

stud, 43; return to Turf, 43 ;
horses placed with Scott and
Alfred Day, 445 death, 445
transaction with Marquis of
Hastings, 44; “spider and
fly ” incident, 44, 1233 Mar-
quis of Hastings’ horses as-
signed to, 1215; an obituary
notice, 443 just tribute, 45

Pageant (by Elland): early vate §
168; bought by Mr. F.
Gretton (1874), 169; a
splendid stayer, 1693; blind
of an eye, 169; became
totally blind, and destroyed,
171; second in Cesarewitch,
169; unplaced in Cambridge-
shire, 170 ; won Chester Cup,
1713 a second time, 171;
also Brighton and Doncaster
Cups, 1713 improved greatly
with age, 171

Paget, Lord Berkeley: part owner
of La Roche, 407

Palmer, William (the Poisoner) :
training with Saunders at
Hednesford, 3 ; Porter’s family
doctor, 3; his final crime,
31; Hodgman’s suspicions,
325 poignant letters written

by, 34 I

Palmer, The: much-fancied Derby
candidate, 79; subject of a
big bet, 793; received forfeit
from Hermit, 80, 813; a
dead-heat with Julius, 83;
beat Knight of the Garter at
Liverpool, 83; won Free
Handicap (3 yrs.), 1023; tried
Rosicrucian and Blue Gown
for Derby, 115, 1163 at
Neasham Hall Stud, 83; sire
of Jenny Howlet, and reputed

sire of Pilgrimage, 83
Palmerston, Lord: Jim Goater
and, 36
Paradox: bred at Yardley, 227;

purchased by Capt. Bowling
and me as yearling, 229;
Captain B. buys my share,
229; well tried (2-y.-0.), 230 ;
bought by D. of Westminster,

INDEX

230; unluckily beaten Middle
Park Plate, 231; the Duke
sells Paradox to Mr. Cloete,
2313 colt wins Dewhurst
Plate, 2313; Guineas trial,
2323 wins 2000 Gs., 2333
beaten in Derby by Melton,
235-2373; wins Grand Prix,
2373 scratched from Cam-
bridgeshire, 2383; resulting
unpleasantness, 238-241 ; won
Champion Stakes, 242 ; leaves
Kingsclere, 241; at the stud,

2433 an “In Memoriam”
card, 242

Park House (Kingsclere), mere
cottage when built, 108.

See Kingsclere Stables
Parker, Tass : Hobbie Noble, 3
Parole (bred in U.S.A.): public
trial (with Isonomy) for “ City
and Sub.” and Great Metro-
politan, both of which he won,

I

Parr, Tom : Rataplan won races for,
233; owner of Saucebox, 25;
disappointment with Morti-
mer, 25

Pearson, General:
Pageant, 168

Peck, Robert: D. of Westminster’s
horses left Russley for Kings-
clere, 196, 2023; purchase of
Shotover, 203; offer to take
her himself, 204

Percy (of Pimperne): trainer to
Lord Alington and Sir F.
Johnstone, 202

Perdita II. (dam of Persimmon,
etc.): bought by Prince of
Wales —racing record, 287;
yielded the Prince £250,000,
288; produce and winnings,

breeder of

289
Perfection: One Thousand and
Oaks, 40, 4.1

Pero Gomez: breeding of, 1313
a good trial, 131, 1323 tried
for Middle Park Plate and
does well, 1353; why Sir J.
Hawley’s ‘“‘second string,”
1353; won Middle Park Plate,

495

136; dead-heated with Wild
Oats in Criterion, 137 ; second
winter favourite for Derby,
1373 not same class as Rosi-
crucian, 137 3 trained specially
for Derby, 1383 badly beaten
in trial, 138; beaten a head
in Derby by Pretender, 139 ;
won St. Leger, with Pretender
unplaced, 141, 1423 why he
beat Pretender 4 length only

in Doncaster Stakes, 142;
last races, 142, 143; sold,
1433 at the stud, 143;

character and defects, 143
Phillips, T.: stud at Leybourne
Grange, 66
Pietermaritzburg: fourth in St.
Leger—winner of Jockey Club
Stakes—at the stud—sold to
go to Argentina, 429, 430
Piety : winner of Manchester Cup,

377

Pless, Prince: became owner of
Blue Gown, 128

Polly Agnes (grandam of Ormonde) :
despised by Sir Tatton Sykes,
246

Polymelus: trial (2-y.-0.), 4393
winner at Goodwood and
Newmarket, 440;
form—second in St. Leger,
440; sold to Mr. David
Faber, then to Mr. Sol Joel,
4415; subsequent successes,
441, 4425 at the stud, 442;
never at his best when at
Kingsclere, 442

Porter, John: date and place of
birth, 1 ; two years in London,
23 association with trainers at
Hednesford, 2 ; prolonged visit
to Saunders, 2-45; became
apprenticed to John Day at
Michel Grove, 4, 53 light-
weight jockey, 4, 7; winners
ridden by, 8, 9; mount in
Derby, 9, 403; decide not to
be a jockey, 10, 173 rode
Virago in trials, 103; dis-
appointment over Virago, 16,
173 opinion of Virago, 20;

3-y--0.

rode King Tom at exercise,
24.3 clerical assistant to Day,
293 manager and secretary
to Goater, 305; apprentice-
ship indentures cancelled, 30 ;
Palmer the Poisoner, 323
always busy, 30; opinion of
Mr. Padwick, 315; happy
time with Goater, 36, 45;
took The Ranger to Paris, 49 ;
a rejoinder to Lord Strathmore,
503 presented to Emperor and
Empress, §1; kindly recollec-
tions of Lord Westmoreland,
46; recommended to Sir J.
Hawley by Lord Westmore-
land, 58; interview with Sir
Joseph, 58; go to Cannon
Heath, 59; engaged as trainer
by Sir Joseph, 60; tussle with
head lad, 59, 60; saddled first
winner, 66; small salary, 67 ;
Argonaut won City and Subur-
ban, 73; dangerously ill at
Doncaster, 74; Sir J. Haw-
ley’s solicitude, 74-76; “in
harness ” again, 773; the Blue
Gown affair at Doncaster, 91-
96; great time at second Oct.
meeting, Newmarket (1867),
102; opinions about Rosi-
crucian, Blue Gown, and Green
Sleeve, 116-118; amusing
railway-journey incident, 119 ;
Blue Gown first “ classic”
winner, 123; asked to train
Lady Elizabeth and The Earl,
124.3 an appreciation of Sir J.
Hawley, 163-165; a public
trainer, 167; for three years
chiefly dependent on Mr. F.
Gretton’s horses, 168 ; bought
Isonomy for Mr. F. Gretton,
172; bought Monk from Mr.
Gretton, 180; first horse to
win in my colours, 180; an
ultimatum to Mr. F. Gretton,
181, 182; a bedroom inter-
view, 182; opinion of Isonomy,
187; part company with Mr,
F. Gretton over Fernandez-
Prestonpans row at Liverpool,

496 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

190-192 encounter with
tipster at Shrewsbury, 195;
received horses belonging to
Lord Alington, Sir Frederick
Johnstone, Duke of West-
minster, and Lord Stamford,
196; bought Geheimniss for
Lord Stamford, 1975; second
Derby winner (Shotover), 207 ;
first visit of Prince of Wales
(King Edward) to Kingsclere,
2123 praise for Whipper-in,
217; Sandiway and the Cam-
bridgeshire—orders disobeyed,
220; opinion of Ormonde and
St. Simon, 223; purchased
Paradox as yearling and shared
with Captain Bowling, 229;
the Captain secured my share,
2293 negotiated sale of Para-
dox to Mr. Cloete, 231 3 con-
cerning peculiarities of Para-
dox, 233, 2343 scratching of
Paradox from Cambridgeshire
—letter from Mr. Cloete—
my account of affair, 238-241 ;
lost Mr. Cloete’s patronage,
241

Opinion of Ormonde as a yearling,

248, 2493 a8 a 2-y.-0., 253 5
Criterion Stakes a lucky race,
2543 discussed chances of
Ormonde and Minting with
Matt Dawson, 255, 2563
realised Ormonde best horse
ever trained, 263; training
horses for St. Leger, 263;
received Kendal as present, 264;
dumbfounded by discovery
Ormonde a roarer, 267 ; regret

2733; saw him again at
Moulton Paddocks, 278 ; met
Ormonde when he returned
from Argentina, 283; asked to
train for Prince of Wales
(King Edward), 284; advise
as to Sandringham Stud, 286 ;
bought Perdita II. for Prince
of Wales, 287; owned
Carrasco in partnership with
Capt. Bowling, 296 ; a present

INDEX 497

from the Duke, 305; pur-
chase of Sainfoin in partner-
ship with Sir R. Jardine, 313 3
sale of colt to Sir J. Miller,
316; feelings when Sainfoin
won Derby, 318; saddled five
horses in St. Leger, 319;
opinion, and treatment, of
Common, 321, 322; asked to
train for Sir Blundell Maple,
326; appreciative note from
Lord Alington, 327

The poisoning of Orme, 339-
3423 opinion of Orme, 348,
354.3 lose horses of Prince of
Wales and Baron Hirsch, 351 ;
a comforting assurance, 352 3
Baron Hirsch’s desire to return
to Kingsclere, 352; Matt
Dawson’s revenge, 362; two
£100 bets—Orme v. Match-
box, 366; leased Hawfinch,
384; bought Vampire for
Eaton Stud, 3865; impressions
of Flying Fox as yearling, 387 ;
estimate of Flying Fox’s
abilities, 393; recommend M.
Blanc to buy Flying Fox, 402 ;
a wedding present from M.
Blanc, 402; the sale of
Sceptre, 4063 appreciation of
William the Third, 425;
breeder of Willonyx, 426;
the purchase of Duke of West-
minster, 432; member of
Kingsclere Syndicate, 4373
sale of the property, 4373
Polymelus the last winner
saddled, 442; retirement in
1905, 442; sale of share in
Kingsclere Syndicate, 4433
bought property at Strattons,
near Newbury, 443; Tfe-
moval to Newbury, 446;
Newbury racecourse scheme,
443-447; negotiations with
Stewards of Jockey Club, 444,
4453 an interview with King
Edward, 445; company suc-
cessfully floated, 446; second
marriage, 4.4.7

Views on low handicap weights,

203 approval of apprentice
allowance, 213 memories as-
sociated with Findon, 29;
first marriage, 29; fondness
for gardening, 29; apprecia-
tion of jockeyship of Fordham,
Archer, Tom Cannon, and
Sloan, 51-553 advocate en-
couragement of apprentice
riders, 53, 545 revisited
Michel Grove and_ Findon,
563 training methods “then
and now,” 563 jockeys’
emoluments, 62; a game of
whist with Tom Dawson, and
the sequel, 72, 733 given
(and exercised) option of buying
Kingsclere on Sir Joseph’s
death, 109, 1673; interest
in Kingsclere church, 109,
1103 share of Match stakes
with Sir Joseph, ror; objec-
tion to gambling as opposed
to moderate betting, 125;
a terrific thunderstorm at
Epsom, 133} approve starting
gate, but not standing starts,
126, 1273; opinion on two-
year-old racing, 157, 158,
160; no yearling trials at
Kingsclere, 160; proper use
of Selling races, 160 ; mistake
to force two-year-olds and
sometimes _ three - year - olds,
1763; treatment of trainers
by owners, 1823 excessive
presents to jockeys, 183;
“if I had received 5 per cent of
winnings,” 1835 visits to
Royal Yacht and Sandringham,
290, 2913; lawyer friends—
Mr. Justice Hawkins, Lord
Russell of Killowen, Sir Charles
Mathews, 291-2943 visit to
Royal Yacht in Jubilee year
and a “tip” to a hairdresser,
301, 302

Portland, Duke of: purchase of
St. Simon, 223; a bidder for
La Fléche, 329 ; joined Kings-
clere stable, 407; La Roche,
407; Manners, 410; Simon

2K

498 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Dale, 410; William the Third,

4133 member of Kingsclere

Syndicate, 4375; Darley Dale,

438

Prestonpans: victory in Liverpool
Cup and subsequent row, 190,

IQ!
mA We third in Middle Park

Plate, 136; winter fancy for
Derby, 1373 won 2000 Gs.,
138; won Derby by a head
from Pero Gomez, — 1393
“ nowhere”’ in St. Leger won

Pero Gomez, 1413;
deterioration after 2000 Gs.,
1413; ran “Pero” to half
length in Doncaster Stakes,

I

Price, Sir Richard Green: opinion
of Sainfoin, 320

Prince of Wales (King Edward) :
first visit to Kingsclere, 212 ;
patron of the stable, 284;
“the first attribute of a good
sportsman,” 285; the found-
ing of the Sandringham Stud,
286; purchase of Perdita II.,
257; what she “ earned,”
289; H.R.H.’s_ visits to
Kingsclere, 290; at Hampton
Court sale when La Fléche
bought, 329; departure of
horses from Kingsclere, 351 3
Diamond Jubilee’s Derby
victory, 412

Ptolemy (Rebecca colt): a 2-y.-o.
winner, 243, 244

Punch: on poisoning of Orme, 341

Pyrrhus the First: sale of, 42

Rancho del Paso: Ormonde one
season at, 281

Ranger, The: winner of Grand
Prix, 49

Rataplan: raced by various owners,
233 gallop through flock of
sheep, 24; beaten by Oulston,
6

2

Rayner, Oscar W.: owner of
Littleton (stallion), 436

Red Shoes (by Beadsman—Miami) :
and a selling plate claim, 84, 85

Reed, Charles: successful bid for
St. Blaise, 2163; disappointed
over Ormonde, 216, 279, 280

Regret : ite “ honest ”—

perating beast,” 376

Reprieve: good winner owned by
Lord Grosvenor, 225 ;
to Sir Tatton Sykes, and dam
of winners, 225; an accident
at Birmingham, 225, 226

Right-away: good horse—break-
down in St. Leger, 310

Rocket: Cesarewitch winner, 38,

39

Rock Sand: son of Sainfoin, 319 ;
sale to Mr. Belmont, then to
French syndicate, and death,

320

Roquefort (Grand National winner) :
at Kingsclere, 194

Rosebery, Lord: purchase, as a
foal, of Casuistry, dam of
Paradox, 227; sale of
Casuistry, 228; the victory
of Ladas in Derby, 363

Rosicrucian (brother to The Palmer):
successful debut at Ascot, go $
important trial, 102; won
Criterion, 102; defeat in
Middle Park Plate, 104-106 ;
attacked by fever 1867-8, 111 ;
position in Derby betting, 112 ;
third favourite for 2000 Gs.,
1123 unplaced in ditto, 113 5
won Derby trial, 1155 and
the consequences, 118; m
high opinion of the colt, 116,
1173 recovered form as 4-y.-0.,
or sold to Mr. Chaplin

Lord Granville, 1303

stud successes, 130 ; daughters
who bred classic winners, 130

Ross, Dr. W. G.: agent for Mr.
Macdonough in purchase of
Ormonde, 280

Rossington : son of Lily Agnes, 247

Rothschild, Baron; buyer of Kin
Tom, 24; declaration in 186
Derby, 1223; a Brighton Cup
wager, 134

INDEX

Rous, Admiral: disagreement with

Mr. Gratwicke, 5; Mr.
Padwick—“ spider .and fly ”
incident, 44; as a “ Match”
maker, 81; the Blue Gown
affair at

Doncaster, 943
“spider and fly” incident,
1233 opposed to Sir

Hawley’s “ Turf Reform Bill,”
155, 156, 161

Rowton: small horse, to
Rugeley : my birthplace, 1
Russell, Sir Charles (Lord R. of

Rydal Head:

Killowen): visits to Kings-
clere, 293

a trial—second in
Eclipse Stakes, 4.39, 4.40

Saccharometer : Grand Prix, 50
Sacrifice: half-sister to Virago, 19
Sadler, Mr. (of Doncaster) : breeder

of Pretender, 137; unfounded
rumour of death, 14.1

Sainfoin : bought as a yearling, 313 ;

St.

small horse, 3133 beaten in
trial (2-y.-0.), 3143 won
only race as juvenile, 314;
successful trial (3-y.-0.), 315 5
easily won Esher Stakes, 315 3
sold to Sir James Miller, 316 ;
remained at Kingsclere, and
won the Derby, 317, 3183
beaten in St. Leger, 319;
at the stud—sire of Rock
Sand, 319; sold to Lord
Carnarvon, then to Messrs.
Slocock, and death, 3193; an
opinion of, 320

Alexis: winner of Great
Eastern Handicap, 67; how
humoured and trick he played,
67

St. Blaise: arrival at Kingsclere,

description of, and 2-y.-o.
form, 211; trial for 2000
Gs., 2125 beaten in the race,
2123; Derby trial, 213; won
Derby, 214.3 beaten in Grand
Prix, 215; wretched “ show ”
at Ascot, 2153
failures, 2163; sold and sent

subsequent —

St.

St.
St.

St.

499

sold there,
sire of winners and

to U.S.A., 216;
2163

- brood mares, 216

Bris: winner at Goodwood
(3-y.-0.) — trial— beaten in
Brighton Cup—won Cesare-
witch—and Alexandra Plate
—went to France where suc-
cessful sire, 377, 378

Gris: defeat of Flying Fox at

Kempton, 389

Hubert: unorthodox prepara-
tion for 2000 Gs., 26; won
trial, 275 alleged ‘ arrange~
ment ” to his detriment, 27 ;
beaten by Lord of the Isles,
273 cause of separation be-
tween Day and Padwick, 28

Leger: Rataplan third in, 24 ;

Scythian fourth, 25; Pero
Gomez, 14.1, 142 ; Geheimniss
second, 199 ; Sandiway second,
2193 way to train horses for,
2635 won by Ormonde, 264 ;
Miguel second, 308; Apollo
fourth, 308 ; Kingsclere horses
second, third, and fourth, 319,
320; Common, 3243; Labra-
dor second to Persimmon,
3763; Flying Fox, 3973 Friar
Tuck third, 434

St. Marguerite: beaten by Geheim-

St.

St.

Mirin :

niss (2-y.-0.), 198 ; and again
in Oaks, 199 3 won 1000 Gs.,
205

third to Ormonde and
The Bard in Derby, 2613
second in St. Leger, 2643
Cambridgeshire defeat, 266;
great inferiority to Ormonde,
266; beaten 8 lengths by
Ormonde in trial, 269; ran
Minting to a length at 10 lb.,
2693; wonatrial,296 .
Simon: match wv. Duke of
Richmond, 2213 victories as
2-y.-0., 2223 incidents at
sale of, 222, 2235 comparison
with Ormonde, 223, 245

Sandiway : the Bend Or—Tadcaster

controversy, 218; her likeness
to Bend Or, 2183 second in

2K2

soo JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

St. Leger, 2193 orders dis-
obeyed in the Cambridgeshire,
2203; Liverpool Cup winner,
220; dam of Calveley, 220;
bought by Mr. Larnach, 221

Sandringham Stud: founding of,
286

Saraband: Sir B. Maple and 2000
Gs., 257

Satyr: bought out of a Selling race,
845; an escapade on the
Downs, 85; story of his
Hunt Cup victory, 86, 87

Saucebox : Tom Parr and, 26

Saunders: trainer at Hednesford,
and my godfather, 1; a pro-
longed visit to, 2; trainer to

Palmer the Poisoner, 31 ;
Palmer’s message “‘ Cook is
dead,” 32

Savile, Mr. : a Findon patron, 45 ;
won Grand Prix with The
Ranger, 49

Savile :. winner of Goodwood Cup,

93

at Mr.: objects to The Ban,
and Sir J. Hawley temporarily
quits the Turf, 63

Sceptre: sale for 10,000 gs. as a
yearling, 405, 406; bought by
Sir Wm. Bass, 406; total
winnings, 406; offered for
sale as 2-y.-0., 4.32

Scott, Lord John, 26

Scott, John (trainer): why he
saddled so many St. Leger
winners, 263

Scythian: bought by Mr. Padwick
and won Chester Cup, 25

Sefton, Lord: “ still invincible,”

47

Shaddock: “a pretty good horse,”
378

Sheffield Lane Stud: Adventurer,

137
Shorthouse, Dr.: libel on Sir J.
Hawley, 149 ; a reconciliation,

150
Shotover: arrival at Kingsclere,
203; 2-y.-0. form, 20335

description of, 203; bred at
Blankney, 203 ; Guineas trial,

204; won 2000 Gs., 205;
beaten in rococo Gs., 295;
how she won the Derby, 206 ;
why did not compete in Oaks,
207; St. Leger defeat, 207,
208 ; Park Hill Stakes victory,
208; subsequent deteriora-
tion, 208; beaten in trial
(4-y.-0.), 208 ; failure in City
and Suburban, 209; retired
to stud, 209; death, 209;
not a good stayer, 208; in
St. Blaise’s Derby trial, 213

Siderolite : how he became a stayer,
146 associated with Sportin
Times attack on Sir Tosegh
Hawley, 146

Signorina: beat Orme in Lancashire
Plate—her record and her
owner, 336

Sharpe, Taylor: purchase of
Angelica and sale to Duke of
Westminster, 333

Sievier, Robert S.: purchase of
Sceptre, 405, 406; sale of
Duke of Westminster, 432

Simon Dale: 3-y.-o. trial—a win
at Goodwood, 4113 beaten
in Champagne Stakes’ and
Middle Park Plate, 411, 412;
second in the Derby, 412;
later form, and death, 413

Sir Hugo: beat La Fléche in Derby,
3455 beaten by La Fléche in
St. Leger, 348

Sloan, Tod: riding skill, 55; the
defeat of Flying Fox by Caiman
in Middle Park Plate, 390,
391; Holocauste and Flying
Fox in the Derby, 394

Smart, Hawley (novelist): letters
written by, 305, 306 :

Smith, “ Rosebery”: Florence and
the Cambridgeshire, 220

Soltykoff, Prince: bet on Duke of
Parma for Cesarewitch, 170 ;
lucky to win Cambridgeshire
with Lucetta, 189 ; an objec-
tion and its result, 189, 190 ;
on Common’s name, 323, 324

Son of a Gun: winner of two

Liverpool Cups, 371

INDEX

Sporting Times, The: attack on
Sir Joseph Hawley, 146-150 ;
extracts from the libel, 14.7

Stamford, Lord: joined Kingsclere
Stable, 196; some previous
** classic * successes, 197 3 put-
chase of Geheimniss, 197 ;
won Oaks with her, 1993
death of, 199

Stanley-Errington, Sir Massey : con-
federate of Sir J. Hawley, 61 ;
Teddington’s Derby, 62

Star Ruby: two trials (2-y.-o.)—
failed if races—sold to Mr.
Haggin—traced well in U.S.A.
—success at stud—sire of
Rubio (Grand National winner),
37°

Sterling: Isonomy one of his first
foals, 186

Stockwell: hardy offspring of, 80

Stradbroke, Lord: Virago, 19

Strathmore, Lord: unwarranted
contempt of The Ranger, 50

Stray Shot: dam of Shotover, 203 5
grandam of Ravensbury, 204

Sturt, Gerard. See Alington, Lord

Surefoot : Sainfoin and, 316; won
2000 Gs., 3173; failed to
stay the Derby Course, 318 ;
beat Gouverneur and Common
in “ Eclipse,” 324

Swindell, Fred (“ Lord Freddy ”) :
share in Fernandez-Preston-
pans row at Liverpool, 191

Sykes, Sir Tatton: bought Miss
Agnes, 246; bred from her
Polly Agnes (g.d. of Ormonde)
whom he gave to his stud
groom, 246; purchase of La
Fléche and the return she gave,

356-358

Tarporley: beat Kissing Cup in
trial—successes at Ascot and
Goodwood— injury ends his
racing career—at the stud—
leased to France, 369

Tattersall, Edmund: advice to
Duchess of Montrose re
Isonomy, 186; the sale of

La Fléche, 329

gol

Tattersall, E. Somerville : on Sandi-
way’s alleged likeness to Bend
Or, 2183; Ormonde’s return
from Argentina, 2133; what
Tom Cannon said about Or-
monde’s last race, 2733 the
sale of Polymelus—-a prophecy,

441
Tattersall, Messrs.: part played in
purchase of Ormonde, 280
Taylor, Alec (of Fyfield) : Tedding-
ton, 62
Terry, J. (of Emsworth) :
of Hawfinch, 384
Theakston Hall Stud: Tarporley at,
6
Thellisson, S.: owner of Rataplan,
233 and of King Tom, 24;
sale of King Tom, 24.3 Lictor
beaten by Blue Gown, 90
Touchstone: characteristics of off-
spring, 80
Training: methods
now,” 56
Trials (the figure in parentheses
indicates the age of the horse
when tried) :
Virago (3), Little Harry (5), 15
St. Hubert (3), Little Harry, 27
Bedminster (3), Argonaut (6), 69
Rosicrucian (3), Blue Gown (3),
The Palmer (4), 115
Morna (2), Pero Gomez (2), Xi
(4), 131
Pero Gomez (2), Morna (2), The
Palmer (4), 135
Lictor (4), Morna (3), Blue Gown
(4), Pero Gomez (3), 138
Vagabond (3), The Palmer (5),
Blue Gown (4), 151
Antient Pistol (3), Isonomy (3),
Harbinger (4), 174
Incendiary (5), Locksley (3),
Shotover (3), Sirdar (5), 204
Geheimniss (4), Shotover (4), 208
Whipper-in (3), St. Blaise (3),
Incendiary (6), 212
St. Blaise (3), Incendiary (6),
Shotover (4), Geheimniss (4),
Energy (3), 213
Duke of Richmond (2), Whipper-
in (3), Sandiway (2), 221

breeder

“Then and

s02 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Casuistry Colt (Paradox) (2),
Rebecca Colt (Ptolemy) (2),
Whipper-in (5), Reprieve (3),
230

Paradox (3), Whipper-in (6),
Cambusmore (4), Farewell (3),
Metal (3), 232
Kendal (2), Ormonde (2),

ee (6), Whitefriar
(2), 24

Ouineade 14), St. Mirin (4), 269

St. Mirin (4), Candlemas (4),
Ormonde (4)—last-named not
being tried, 296

Friar’s Balsam (2), Mon Droit

(2), 297 ;
Orbit (2), Spot (3), Friar’s
Balsam (2), Mon Droit (2),
Ossory (2), 29
Upset (4) . . . Ossory (2), 303

Blue Green (2), Sainfoin (2),

Orwell (2), 314

Sainfoin (3), Gay Hampton (4),
Vasistas (4), 315

Common (3), Gone Coon (3),

343)’.

Goldfinch (2), Patrol (3), 330

Goldfinch (2), Polyglot (2)...
Patrol (3), 331

Windgall (2), La Fiéche (2),
Massacre (3), 331

Orme (2), Massacre (3), Orville

_ (2)> 334

Watercress (2), Massacre (3),
Candahar (2), 33

Orme (3), erent (6), Blue Green
(5)> 343 Ry

Rusina (3), Belle Winnie (3),
Matchbox (2), 360

Matchbox (2), oo Winnie (3),
Throstle (2), 360

Matchbox G), Throstle (2),
Rusina (3), 361

Bullingdon (3), Grey Leg (3),

68

Tacentiey (2), Kissing Cup (2),
Star Ruby (2), Joyful (4), 369,

37°
Star Ruby (2), Tarporley (2), 370
Le Var, Matchmaker (3), 371
Rampion (2), Helm (2), Omladina
(2), Joyful (5), 372

Omladina (2), Regret (2), Grey
Leg (4), Helm (2), Rampion
(2), Shaddock (2), 373

Attainment (3), Royal Corrie (4),
Labrador (3), Shaddock (3),
ane (3), Omladina (3), Regret
3)> 374

Omladina (2), Regret (2), 376

Regret (3), Royal Corrie (4), 376

Rampion (3), Zebac (3), St. Bris
(3), Omladina (3), 377

Flying qr ved aie Ameer (3),
Frontier (2), Sark (2), 388

Flying Fox (3), Frontier (3),
Batt (4), 392

4

Elopement (3), Simon Dale (3),
La Roche (3), Missel Thrush
3)» 408

Good Luck (3), Simon Dale (2),
Granite (2), 411

St. Vigila (3), Sabot (2), William
the al G ! ig

William the Third (2), St.
Aldegonde (2), Mannlicher (2),
415

William the Third (5), Friar
Tuck (4), Throwaway (4),

424
Flying Lemur (3), Duke of West-
minster (3), Cupbearer (3),

431

Friar Tuck (3), Flying Lemur
(3), St. Aldegonde (4), 433

St. Benet (3), Just Cause (3),
Friar Tuck (2), 4.34

Littleton (2), Greatorex (2), Miss
Unicorn (6), 4.35

Greatorex (2), Littleton (2),
Songcraft (2), Fairfield (2),

435

Grey Plume (3), Rydal Head (3),
Darley Dale (3), 438

Percussion (3), Ryn" Head (3),
Darley Dale (3), 43

Grey Plume (3), Ps ctl (2),
Pamfleta (2), 439

INDEX

Trial horses :

Xi, 100; Lictor,
Whipper-in

and Incendiary,

217
Throstle: arrival at Kingsclere,
3593 trials (2-y.-0.), 360,
3613; defective sight, 364;
indifferent 2-y.-o. form, 364 ;
successes at Ascot and Good-
wood (3-y.-0.), 365; St.
Leger triumph, 365-367 ; dam
of Missel Thrush, 367
Throwaway: form as two and
three-year-old—-a_ _ Liverpool
Cup winner—departure from
Kingsclere—won Ascot Cup
—comparison with William
the Third, 429
Tribonyx : dam of Willonyx, 427
Tweed: stud groom at Leybourne
Grange, 66
Thousand Guineas: St.
Hubert and Lord of the Isles
in, 26, 27; Yellow Jack, 37;
Clydesdale third, 39; Fitz-
Roland, 39, 40, 64, 65;
Bedminster’s failure, 69, 70;
Lord Glasgow and “ General
Peel,” 72; why Blue Gown
did not run, rr1, 112; Green
Sleeve and Rosicrucian fail,
112, 113; won by Shotover,
205; St. Blaise beaten, 212 ;
won by Paradox, 233; by
Ormonde, 258 ; Friar’s Balsam
beaten, 298 ; Orbit third, 304 ;
victory of Common, 322;
Ladas and Matchbox, 362;
Labrador third, 375; Batt
unplaced, 382; Flying Fox,
392; Elopement favourite—
finished fourth, 408, 409;
Duke of Westminster’s failure,
432

Two

Upset: winner of Stewards’ Cup,
301

Vagabond: won “ City and Sub.”
trial, 1515 scratched because
owner forestalled in ‘‘ market,”

St

593

Vampire (dam of Flying Fox):
bought by Duke of West-
minster, 386 ; a spiteful mare
—the mating with Orme—
resulting in Flying Fox, 387

Vasistas : bought by Baron Hirsch
—won Chester Cup, 329

Vatican: trouble over Doncaster
Cup, 63

Vespasian (Sir C. Legard’s): fine
performance at Goodwood, 83 ;
Rosicrucian and, 117

Viney (jockey): protest to starter
of 2000 Gs., 259

Virago: perhaps greatest of fillies,
10; bought as yearling, 10;
description of, 113 first race,
113 allowed to be beaten, 12 ;
Admiral Rous and, 12 3 backed
for Chester Cup, 13; George
Hodgman and, 13; scratched
for Chester Cup,—tried for
“ City and Sub.” and “ Metro-
politan,” 15 ; won both races,
16; Shrewsbury race recalled
and “explained,” 175 defeat
at York, 173 rumour of
attempt to poison her, 183
won 1000 Gs., 183 became
a roaret, 19; failure as brood
mare, 19

Volodyovski: compared _ with
William the Third, 418, 419

Vyner, Clare: The Lambkin and
St. Leger, 219

Vyner, Robert C.: The Lambkin
and St. Leger, 219 |

Walker, Edmund: stud groom at
Sandringham, 286

Walker, Thomas Eades : sent horses
to Kingsclere (1873), 1663
Studley Castle his coming-of-
age present, 1673; sold horses
(1874), 1673 rejoined stable
(1879), 167, 1935 again
departed, 1943; won 1000
Gs. with Elizabeth, 194

Walters : trainer, to Ald, Copeland,

Watercress: at Kingsclere, 330 3
won trial, 338; too big to
Trace a$ 2-¥.-0., 339

{

504 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE

Watson, John (of Waresley) :
breeder of Geheimniss, 197

Waugh, William: appointed trainer
at Kingsclere, 443

Weatherby, James: his stolen
watch, 310
Webb, Fred, jockey: mount on

Paradox in Derby and an un-
founded rumour, 235-237
Webster, J. Hume: unsuccessful
attempt to bring Ormonde

back to England, 282, 283

Wedlock (dam of Best Man): only —

appearance on Turf, 202
Wells, John (“Tiny”), jockey:
attached to Michel Grove
stable, 7; Virago, 163 clever
handling of Fitz-Roland in
2000 Gs., 40; and of Beads-
man in Derby, 40; his modest
retainer, 67; clever win on
Argonaut, 733; not a spend-
thrift, 99; married daughter
of Tom Taylor, of Bretby, 99 ;
in nasty spill at Chester, 99 ;
marvellous finish on Musjid,
99; “allowed ” to ride Queen
Bertha in St. Leger, 973
“straight as a die,” 973
eccentricity in matter of dress,
97; Custance on Wells’s
ability, 99 5; a warm interview
with Sir Joseph Hawley, 95 ;
latter’s forgiveness, 953 pre-
vious rumpus with Sir Joseph,
96; Blue Gown affair at
Doncaster, 91-96; sequel to
quarrel with Doyle, the jockey,
93, 943 preferred to ride Blue
wn in Derby, 1193 steers
him to victory, 122; beaten
a head in the Derby on Pero
Gomez, 139; a race in
which he did not shine, 140 ;
audacious reply to Sir J.
Hawley, 101; removed to
Kingsclere and died there, 1r1o
Westbourne: second in Cesare-
witch to Chippendale after
bumping Isonomy, 178 ; public
resentment when scratched for
Cambridgeshire; 178

Westminster, Duke of : joined
Kingsclere stable, 196, 203 5
owner of Omladina, 201;
purchase of Shotover, 203,
2043 not a betting man, 205 ;
sale to Peck, and repurchase of
Shotover, 204; second claim
on Archer, 207; delight over
Shotover, 207; Sandiway and
Duke of Richmond, 217 ; high
opinion of Duke of Richmond,
2223 bought Paradox (Casuis-
try colt), 230; sold him
after Middle Park Plate, 231 ;
bought Lily Agnes and her
sister Lizzie Agnes, 2475 not
impressed by Ormonde as a
yearling, 249; opinion of
Ormonde after riding him,
2523; presented Kendal to
me, 264; heard Ormonde
“ whistle” at exercise, 268 ;
pride in Ormonde at Ascot,
271, 2723 exhibited Ormonde
at Jubilee reception, 276;
sale of Ormonde, 278 ; motive
for sale, 279; an “ Eclipse”
surprise, 304, 305; purchase
of Angelica, dam of Orme,
3333 opinion of Orme, 334,
3353; offer of reward re
poisoning of Orme, 341; de-
light when Orme won Eclipse
Stakes, 3435; warned Barrett
before St. Leger and the
consequence, 347, 3485 pur-
chase of Kissing Cup, 370;
Jeddah and Batt, 3833 pur-
chase of Vampire, 386; desire
to be rid of her—change of
mind—advent of Flying Fox,
387; gift to Rhyl Hospital,
396; death, 397; sale of
horses, 399, 403, 404

Westminster, 2nd Duke of: Flying
Lemur, 430; a member of
Kingsclere Syndicate, 437 5
Grey Plume and Rydal Head,

4.38

Westmoreland, Lord: a Findon
patron, 45; horses with Wm.
Day, 46; owner of Merry

INDEX

Hart, 46; 2 sensational Cam-
bridgeshire, 47 ; recommended
me to Sir J. Hawley, 58
Whipper-in: valuable trial horse,
and good winner, 217: went
to Argentine, 217
Whitefriar: trial when 2-y.-0.,
249; second to Ormonde in
Dewhurst Plate, 254; second
in Ormonde’s last race, 272
Wild Oats: beaten in Middle Park
Plate, 1365; tried again and
form proved wrong, 136;
dead-heated with Pero Gomez
in Criterion, 137; winter
fancy for Derby, 137
Williams, veterinary professor :
called to attend Orme, 340
William the Third: pedigree, 413 ;
poor-looking yearling, 4143
beaten in trial (2-y.-o.)—won
mile trial 3 months later,
4153; beaten in only 2-y.-o.
race, 416; not fully developed
till 5 years old, 416; easy
win in Wood Ditton Stakes,
416; and in Esher Stakes,
417; won Newmarket Stakes,
but curious form, 417 ; second
in the Derby—form confirmed,
418; Ascot Cup triumph,
419-422; Alexandra Plate,
422; Doncaster Cup, 423;
amazing defeat for Jockey
Club Cup, 423; Ascot Cup
trial (5-y.-0.), 4243 an acci-
dent ended racing career, 424 5

§95

characteristics. 425: as staver
tanked with Isenomy, 425;
at the stud—record as sire of
winners, 426

Willonyx: antecedents, 427; sold
as a foal to Sir John Robinson,
427; and as a yearling to Mr.
C. E. Howard, 427; at the
stud, 427, 428

Windgall: beat La Fléche in trial,
3315 previous form, 332

Wolsey: dead-heat in Cambridge-
shire and beaten in decider,
102; adventure on way to
Newmarket, 103, 108

Wood, Charles, jockey: fine riding
of St. Blaise in Derby, 214;
opinion on Archer’s handling
of Paradox in 2000 Gs., 233

Wyatt: Mr. Thellusson’s trainer
at Myrtle Grove, 24

Xi, associated with Blue Gown
affair at Doncaster, 923 a
fine “schoolmaster,” 100;
purchase by Sir J. Hawley,
100; matched against The
Earl, 1013; compared with
Whipper-in, 217

Isonomy, 172 ;
187; Paradox,

Yardley Stud:
Fernandez,

227
Yellow Jack: a luckless horse, 37

Zebac: a 2- and 3-y.-o. winner,
3772 378

THE END

Printed by R. & R. Cuark, Limitep, Edinburgh.

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SF Porter, John
336 John Porter of Kingsclere
P6A3

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